All At Once
by crazybrunette113
Summary: All At Once..that's when everything in Gabriella's life had gotten out of control. Troy and her are over, but when something unexpected happens to her that takes over what's left of her life will she be right back where she started..in his arms? Troyella
1. Believe

_I've been beaten, I've been bruised_

_I've been kicked right off my shoes_

_Been down on my knees_

_More times than you'll believe_

_And when the darkness tried to get me,_

_There's a light that just won't let me_

_It might take my pride_

_And tears may fill my eyes_

_But I'll stand back up_

Gabriella's POV:

I said I wasn't going to cry. I said I wasn't going to let any of this get to me. I knew there was a possibility that this could happen, I just didn't think it would…not now.

"Gabriella..." my mom opened the door slowly and entered with a plate resting on her palm. The toast smelled good and looked even better, but I pushed it away when she presented it to me. "Gabi, you have to eat something."

"No, mom. I'm not hungry." I answered, failing to meet her gaze. "I just—I want to be alone." She just stood there at the foot of my bed, watching me hang my head as she tried to find something that would satisfy both of us, but she ended up leaving peacefully, placing the plate on my desk just in case I changed my mind. Once the door shut, I fell back onto my bed, grabbed the pillow beside me and pressed my face into it, screaming at the top of my lungs. For some reason, something about that made me feel better…much better. After about a minute of releasing my anger out on my pillow, I just sat there on the edge of the side of my bed, finally soaking in the reality of the situation. This couldn't be happening to me. Not me, not me.

"Who could be calling me now?" I whispered as my phone jiggled on the wooden beside table, vibrating as I glanced over at the electric clock beside it. Even though it only said 9:00 p.m., I had had enough of life for one day. "Hello?"

"Are you guys—?" the calm voice of my best friend immediately asked, skipping the whole exchanging of hellos.

"Yep." My answer was plain and simple, straight to the point. I could hear Taylor trying to think of something to say other than 'I'm sorry' to me because she knew I hated that.

"Wow." she processed, muttering the word under her breath. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"No." I shook my head as tears stated to well up my eyes as the room began to fade away into to one big blur.

"Gabi, I am so sorry." There were those words…the words that never really did anything when someone said them. I wiped the tracks the tears had left while they fell down my cheeks.

"No, Taylor, you don't understand…"

"What is there to understand?" she asked.

"Just listen. I'm not upset over that," I knew I had to tell her, I mean my gosh she was my best friend…so I did, very slowly………………………………………… "Taylor?" The nerve wracking silence that had followed the news killed me. "Taylor?"

"I'm here." She finally answered and for that, I could catch my breath. "I'm here."

"Please don't hate me…" I pleaded, tears forming again in my eyes.

"I could never hate you, Gabriella. You're my best friend. I just—I don't know what to say in order to make you feel any better." Taylor was so sweet, not yelling, no insulting…no wonder she was my best friend.

"Actually, some sleep would be nice." I hinted and I could hear her smile ear to ear.

"Okay, hint take." she said. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I nodded and somehow she knew that. "Okay. Goodnight, Gabi."

"'Night Tay." I pushed the red phone button on the right side of my hone, ending the conversation and then placed it on the nightstand again. I slipped my legs under the pink cotton sheets, pulled the comforter on top of my and dropped my head on the soft pillow beneath me for a quick second. Then I remembered that my light was still on. Reaching over for the light, I noticed my moms shadow at the bottom of the door. _She's just worried_.

"Goodnight mom. I love you." I smiled.

"'Night Gabriella." she whispered over the door. _Click!_ and then the room went black as I rested my head against the pillow again, closing my eyes slowly.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's officially over now. Troy and I are officially over, never to be the same again. But the best part, oh this is going to be great…the best part is that I'm pregnant. Yes, pregnant with none other than Troy Bolton's child. I found out this morning with my mom, who wasn't too happy about it, but at least she didn't kick me out. Well, not yet at least. I don't know how people are going to react when they find out, especially him. I'm thinking about not telling him, maybe that way he won't be able to break the baby's heart like he did mine…I don't know._

_Here's a little tip: Love sucks!!!!_

_Yours Truly……_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

_"There's no one more important to me…"_ I read the word on the not that hung on the inside of my locker, smiling. It was from a song by Michael Bublé. It was one of my all-time favorites and Troy had found out…

"Stop it!!" I yelled to myself, almost slamming my head against the side of the locker. "It's over, remember?"

"Who are you talking to?" the high pitched bratty voice asked as the body that it belonged to leaned up against the locker to my left. I knew it was Sharpay, even though the door of my locker had blocked her perky face.

"Hi Sharpay." I said as I finished putting my Spanish book in the corner of the tiny locker.

"Who were talking to?" the other blonde twin repeated, leaning up against the locker on my right.

"Please tell me I'm not going insane." I checked in Sharpay's direction to make sure she was still there, which she was. I sighed relief. "What is this then? Evans twin interrogation day?" The twins nodded, jumping slightly at the sound of the metal door clanging up against the metal frame. "Oh, well it's just my lucky day." Hushes and whispers followed my comment and the hall got quieter by the second. I didn't even have to turn around to see what was going on. I knew he was passing or he had passed, the tension between everyone gave it away. The lingering stares from nearby people crawled up my back, sending goose bumps to my arms….and the last time I had gotten goose bumps from something was when I had met Troy.

"Butthead." Sharpay mumbled. "You okay?" I nodded softly. "He's such an egotistical jerk. I mean, who _actually_ thinks that highly of themselves?" Ryan and I turned to each other and cracked a smile.

"Um, you…" Ryan said beside me. And it was a good thing I was in between them, otherwise Ryan would been slapped. Instead Sharpay gasped while Ryan and I laughed at her scrunched up nose and big mouth.

"It's not funny." she stated after she closed her mouth, making sure no flies were going to magically fly into it. "And besides, I'm popular…not a jerk like him."

"That's what you'd like to believe." I answered, followed by a smack on my arm. "Ow!" Ryan started to laugh for no reason, which made me laugh hysterically and me, being the clumsy person I am, wasn't watching where I was going and ended up running head on into the most awkward situation ever….


	2. Over You

Chapter 2 – Over You

_I bet it's all said and done_

_I can't believe you were the one_

_To build me up and tear me down_

_Like an old abandoned house_

_What you said when you left_

_Just left me cold and out of breath_

_I fell two floors and way too deep_

_I guess I let you get the best of me_

Troy's POV:

Callie pulled on my arm, trying to get me to pay attention to her again, but something about the person standing right in front of us mesmerized me. I recognized the brown curls that bobbed on her shoulders. I recognized the light brown complexion and I recognized the body that used to lean up against me. But those eyes…they were too foreign for me to make a connection. Those beautiful brown eyes that used sparkle every time they looked up at me were now replaced by fear and anger. The girl glanced up at me briefly, but then dropped her head.

"I'm so sorry, Troy." she muttered, not looking at me when she addressed me. That alone, the not looking at me part, made me really see that she would never get past what happened the other night. But, I couldn't really blame her.

"Gabi…" I began, but she held up her hand to stop me.

"No, no. It's okay, I should've watched where I was going. I'm sorry, it's my fault." Callie gave another pull at my arm, snagging a piece of my skin along with my sleeve.

"Would you stop!?" I yelled, flashing my eyes back at the blonde behind me. She backed down, slumping against the lockers while I returned my attention to my ex. "Gabriella, look at me please." She refused, shaking her head. I took my hand off of Callie's side and pulled her chin up watching Sharpay tense up out of the corner of my eye. "I want us to be friends." Gabi's eyes kept avoiding my face, it almost seemed as if she was focusing on Callie or the lockers, zoning me out. "And, if not friends, then I want us to be able to at least say hi to each other in the hallways or something."

"Troy," she whispered, finally glancing in my direction. I still couldn't get over the eyes, the way they addressed me when she spoke…_gosh_. "I need to get to class." And then I realized, it was the same old Gabriella Montez…always in a rush to get to the classes and never late.

"Okay." I chuckled, lowering her chin and then taking Callie's hand with mine. "I'll see you around." The twins pushed her along, each looking back at me with death glares. _I knew there was something freaky about them…_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

It was right before the last class of the day. Chad, Jason and I were all crowded around Zeke's locker, waiting for him to finish getting his stuff. Lunch was awkward only because Taylor and Chad were cuddling at one point and with Taylor being Gabriella's best friend, well lets just say that it wasn't that comfortable. Taylor and I still talked, but not like we used to, which I could expect.

"Troy." someone slapped my arm, waking me up from the day dream. "You okay?"

"What is with people slapping or grabbing my arm today?" I snapped, laughing. "I'm fine."

"Okay, well stop looking in the direction of my girlfriend. I know she's hot and all, but she's already taken." Chad joked just as Zeke slammed his locker shut.

"Dude, I don't want your girlfriend. I'm fine, I swear." I glanced back at Taylor and Gabriella standing at Taylor's locker. They were talking about something, but Taylor was talking more which meant that the situation had something to do with Gabi. She was nervous, I could tell…she was twirling her hair around her finger and biting her bottom lip at the same time, something that rarely happened to her. I wanted to go over there and ask what was going on, but that was totally out of the question, one, because we were over and, two, because of this morning's incident.

"Just make up with her. Tell her you want to get back together." Jason mumbled. I looked over my shoulder and frowned.

"You think it's that simple?" I asked and they all nodded. "Dude, you weren't there this morning. She wouldn't even look at me."

"Well that's because you broke up with her. I know she still loves you."

"And how do you know that Chad? Do you have superpowers?" Chad laughed softly as we started walking back towards the direction of the gym for chemistry.

"No, but don't forget that Taylor is my girlfriend. And when she gets juicy gossip that she can't keep any longer, she tells me. Plus, when she's mad she rants to me." he answered. "Dude, therefore I would know if she was still in love with you."

"Well, it wouldn't matter anyway because I've moved on. And I think that it's for the best that we don't get back together." Callie pulled me to a complete halt as I passed her and her friends. She swiftly kissed me and then left me there in the middle of the hall, all in one move.

"Yeah, you've moved on alright." Zeke whispered to the guys sarcastically.

"It's a good thing you're my friend because if otherwise, I would kick your butt right now."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Chemistry ended just as slowly as it had started and it was really boring. I never paid attention in that class, I don't think anyone really did except for Gabriella and Taylor. I didn't understand how they could get all the stuff with moles and mass conversions…it was all too much for me. Chad caught up with me after class with Taylor right by his side.

"So…" There was a silence that had never existed before between the three of us whenever we were together. We tried to find something to talk about, but all I could think about was Gabriella's silence during the day today. Usually in every class she always answers the questions. But, today…well today was different and I could sense that it had nothing to do with me.

"Okay, I know that I shouldn't bring this up but I need to know. Taylor, what's going on with Gabi?"

"You're right, you shouldn't have brought that up." Chad rolled his eyes, I could tell he was getting annoyed with that question. Taylor got even quieter.

"Taylor?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tay?" Chad asked this time, but Taylor just unwrapped her arm off of his waist and then sped up her walking heading right off into Gabi's direction. "Taylor, can you answer me?" Chad had spun her back around, grabbing her upper arm and faced her our way.

"There's nothing going on, Troy. I swear. She's just tired from crying all this weekend because of what you did." she snapped and then walked away without saying anything else to Chad.


	3. Not The Good Kind

Chapter 3 – _Not_ The Good Kind

_And you think you know_

_And I would like to think so_

_But do you know that when you go_

_I fall apart_

_Do you know I cry_

_Do you know I die_

_Do you know I cry_

_And it's not the good kind_

Gabriella's POV:

"Apparently you haven't told him yet." Taylor ambushed me when she stood next to me at the end of the day.

"Apparently." I knew that she was going to say something along the lines of 'well you should' next. "And I know what you're going to say next Tay, but no."

"You have no clue what I was going to say and I'm still going to say it. You need to tell him, Gabriella. He has a right to know that he's going to have a son or a daughter soon." I looked at her and then looked at that same note again…_There's no one more important to me…_maybe she was right.

"Well, he had no right to break my heart like he did." I argued, slipping my jacket on. "Put yourself in my shoes. Do you think if that you were pregnant with your ex-boyfriend's baby, the same boy who tore your heart into a million pieces the day before you found out about the baby, you would tell him that he was going to be a father just so he could do the same thing to your child?" Taylor looked stunned and taken aback.

"Well, you've put a lot of thought into this." _What a question!_, I thought.

"Of course I did. I have to think about what's best for my kid now and it's not a future with Troy."

"But, Gabriella, you've grown up without a father. Don't you want your kid to have a better family dynamic thingy?" Taylor asked, sounding more like a doctor than a friend.

"Taylor, just stop please. It's not your decision."

"Okay, fine. I'll leave you alone then." Before I could say anything else like 'I'm sorry', she took off. I wanted to scream, I wanted to let everyone in the school know how I was feeling. Instead, I just shoved my face into my locker…a lot happened at lockers in high school…and screamed softly, nothing too loud.

"Are you okay?" It was Kelsi this time, someone who had become one of my best friends within a matter of weeks. "What are you doing?" I pulled my head out, people staring at me weirdly.

"Nothing. Just letting off some steam." I answered.

"Let me guess, Troy." I shook my head. "Not Troy? Wow, then it really is over between you two."

"Yep. But, no, more like Taylor."

"Oh, well…" she stopped so suddenly, I thought she was going to pass out by the expression on her face. It wasn't a scary one or anything, it was just blank and she was looking behind me. "Um, well, let's go. I'm sure you want to get home after today…it wasn't that good I heard. Let's go." She pulled onto my bag and started dragging me away before I got a chance to close my locker.

"Kels, hold on. What's going on with you?" I took my turn in dragging her across the floor, laughing as she tried to resist it. "Do you have like bipolar disease or something that I should know about?"

"No, but let's just get out of here. I'm sure you don't want to stay here." She kept looking in one particular direction as if she didn't want me to see something that was going on. "Gabriella, let's go." She tried so hard to get me out of that place, but I turned around because of my stupid curiosity and saw the one sight that grossed me out the most.

"Oh." That was all I could say, that was all I wanted to say.

"Gabi, I am so sorry. I tried to get you out of here so you didn't have to see this, so that you didn't have to have this in your brain all day. I am so sorry." Kelsi beat herself up over the visual in the hallway.

"Kelsi, it's not your fault. I should've listened to the hint, the real _obvious_ hint. It's my fault." I answered, humiliated out the wazoo. "It's always my fault." The picture was now forever in my mind…Troy and his new 'girlfriend' or whatever they were calling her, making out in the middle of the hallway two days after we hd broken up. Well, that was just lovely. Yet another reason why he was never going to know about the baby. My locker was still open, and the note screamed that line. I wanted to go up to him and throw into his face, slap Callie and then storm off, but I ran right past him, crying. I could hear him look up, confused about what just happened.

Troy's POV:

"What was that? Gabriella?" I stopped kissing Callie, I needed a breath anyway, just as what _sounded_ like Gabriella running past me. "Gabriella?" I called after her, turning the corner to see if she was down there. Now I knew there was something defiantly up. "Kelsi…"

"Yes." She seemed rude, almost, something that no one pictured when people talked about her.

"Was that Gabi?" She nodded. "What's wrong?" I noticed something in her hand, a paper with something written on it.

"Read this and then tell me what you think was wrong." She threw the paper at me and then left, walking slowly down the halls. I un-crumpled the paper and then read the one line written…_There's no one more important to me._

_"Oh, I love this song." She whispered on the dance floor at our homecoming dance. She looked up at me and right when the words 'There's no on more important to me' came on, she mouthed them to me._

_-----_

_I walked into English that following week, we were at the peak of our relationship, I never felt any better. Gabriella sat there, indulging herself into a book by Meg Cabot, one of her favorite authors. I knew that when she was reading, no one was to bother her, that was until the teacher started speaking._

_"Word maps are due next class, make sure to…" blah, blah, blah, blah, I stopped paying attention. I asked my friend Gary next to me for a small piece of paper and then wrote 'There's no one more important to me' in cursive, just for her. Taylor sat next to her, so I passed the paper to her and after she read it, she gave it to Gabriella. She was hesitant in opening it, that's how good of a student she was, but she did. I could see her reading it, she read it over and over and over again, probably a million times. She met my gaze and smiled, tears welling up in her eyes and then mouthed 'I love you' with me saying the same thing back._

"I get it." I whispered to myself. "I get it now."

Gabriella's POV:

I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid. How could I let that note get to me, especially since we're broken up? How could I run past him, crying hysterically? He probably thinks I'm an idiot, crying in school like that…oh my gosh. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! I hate him with everything that I have.

"Gabriella!" I could hear Kelsi's voice behind me. She was probably running after me in the parking lot while I just ignored her and kept walking to my car. "Gabriella!"

"What!?" I snapped, stopping right in front of Troy's nice convertible. I looked in the passenger's seat and saw a purse of some kind with a jacket covering it. _Jerk!_

"Are you okay?" she asked and I nodded, sick and tired of that question. Of course I was okay, I just saw my ex-boyfriend, the father of my child, making out with the first bimbo that came his way two days after we broke up. I was fine. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I'm fine. Besides, if you drove me home, how would you get home?"

"Jason and I drive together, remember. I can always call him to come get me at your house." Kelsi explained, but I declined the offer again.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

I opened the garage door, grabbed a bottle of water and an apple, went upstairs to my room, threw my bag down on to the floor and flopped onto my bed. Leaning up against my pillow's, I ate my apple and stared off at the wall in front of me. _Why? Why did this happen to me?_

"Why?" I said it out loud this time, in the direction of the sky or ceiling. "Why me?" I guess I expected an answer from the man upstairs, but I knew that he wasn't going to directly come out and say anything. I looked down at my feet just resting straight up and the realized that soon I wasn't going to be able to see them anymore. "I guess I should start talking to you now, huh?" I placed the apple down on the covers and then rested my hands on top of my stomach, waiting to feel something. "I don't know exactly what to talk about, you don't really know anything that goes on out here and I guess that's a good thing. Let's see, people. I'll tell you about everyone. There's my mom, your grandma, and she's amazing. She didn't kick me out when we found about you, which is a sign that she likes you. She'll spoil you, I know she will. And she'll love you like no one else can…that's something I've learned. Then there's Taylor, my bestest friend in the whole wide world. Right now, she's my only friend that knows about you. You can trust her, she's a good person, but let me be honest…she can be annoying sometimes, but it's a good annoying…you'll understand when you meet her. There's Chad, Taylor's boyfriend. Then Sharpay and Ryan, twins that are the drama freaks in the school, but they're really funny…you'll like Sharpay because she'll take you shopping for stuff that mommy would never buy you and it doesn't matter if you're a girl or a boy, she loves to shop and you'll be her reason. Ryan's funny because he just is, it's one of those things with him…humor just comes natural for him and sometimes he doesn't even know it. Kelsi, she's another one of my friends and her boyfriend, Jason. They're great to be around. Kelsi is a composer and really into music while Jason plays basketball with Chad. Maybe Kelsi will teach you how to play an instrument, possibly the piano…she's really good at that one. And maybe Jason will help you with basketball, that is if you want to play. Personally, I don't understand the sport. And there's too much squeaking with the shoes and the hardwood floor, it gives me a headache." I stopped and looked up at my mom standing there, smiling. She must've been there for a good two minutes or else she would've thought that I was crazy and talking to no one.

"I used to talk to you like that. I remember telling you so many things, ranting on about stuff bad that happened…it was fun." she laughed. I smiled and then looked away from her. "I guess you haven't told Troy yet, huh?"

"And I'm not going to. He doesn't deserve to know, not after what he did to me." My mom walked over to me, sat down next to my feet and placed her hand on my leg.

"Gabriella, Troy needs to know. He has the right and it doesn't matter if he hurt you or not…this is his child. And if you don't tell him, you'll regret it one day. Especially if he finds out on his own…he might fight you for custody." I had never thought about that before, the custody part.

"But, see that's the beauty of moving. If I move away, he won't ever know."

"Don't you think that if you just suddenly move, he'll want to figure out what's going on? Gabi, I know he still cares about you, just not in the way you'd like him to. He's going to notice sometime that something's off with you, believe me…people will start looking at you differently and you can't run from that." She paused. "Now, think about that. Maybe tell your baby what you're thinking, it might help." She patted my shin and then left, shutting the door softly.

"She's right, you know." I told the flat stomach, sliding my hands across it. "He should know, but it just doesn't feel right to me. He hurt me too much, too much for you to understand as well. He's a good person, your father. He was the best thing that ever happened to me, but then he had to ruin it and break up with me just before I found out about you. But I promise, he won't ever hurt you. I won't let him…"

_Dear Diary,_

_I feel better now that I know that my secrets will never be told. And I hope the baby won't remember anything when it _is_ able to talk. I saw Troy today, something that I was trying to avoid doing for the rest of my life, but that didn't happen. He wants to be friends, or I think he said he wants to. I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying, I just thought about what he would say when he found out about the baby, if he ever did. I want to tell him because, honestly, I don't want to go through this alone. And I'm scared. Even if he knew and didn't do anything about it, it would make me feel better that he knew. What am I saying!?!? He's not finding out…that's final, no one or anything can change my mind…it's final._

_Yours truly…_


	4. Outside Looking In

Chapter 4 – Outside Looking In

_If you could read my mind_

_You might see more of me that meets the eye_

_And you've been all wrong_

_Not who you think I am_

_You've never given me a chance_

3 months later…Troy's POV:

I noticed the weight. I noticed the depressing clothes and the change in style of clothes, they were baggier now. I noticed the mood swings and I noticed the change in social status…she was no longer taking part in anything and didn't have many friends, but I never suspected anything. There was no reason why I should've.

"Hey, baby." A light whisper crossed the back of my neck. It was Callie…we had been going really strong ever since we had gotten together three months ago. I was happy, that's all that mattered really.

"Hey." A sweet kiss and then I grabbed her hand, lacing it in with mine. She started talking, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the unfamiliar person in the baggy clothes standing across the hall all by herself. I wanted to go over there and ask her if she was okay, but I knew I couldn't. Gabriella and I hadn't talked since that day where she bumped into me months ago. There was that one week where she was gone, the entire week, sick apparently according to Taylor. That wasn't like Gabi, she never missed a day of school, not since preschool.

"Troy…" Callie brought my attention back to her again. "Stop looking at Gabriella."

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about her." I answered and I could see Callie becoming jealous. "What?"

"You shouldn't even associate with her anymore…you guys are over. And besides, I heard she's turned all 'I hate the world' because of your break up. Too bad, I kind of liked her." Gabriella never blamed the world for anything. And I never meant to hurt her to the point where she completely became a different person…I had to go talk to her.

"Callie, I have to go talk to someone. I'll see you in class." I tried to free her hand from mine, but she refused.

"Don't go over there Troy. She doesn't need your help, she's fine."

"Callie, I have to see what's going on. Even though we're not together anymore, I still care about her enough to make sure everything's okay. I'll see you in class, I promise…I won't get back together with her." I kissed her lips softly and quickly and then joined Gabi as she walked to her next class, which I think was history or something.

"Hey." I said, looking down at her. Her curls were straight, pulled up into a messy sort of look and her clothes were the shades of grey and black…no color whatsoever. "Gabriella…"

"What?" she snapped, not taking her eyes off of the crowd in front of us as we continued down the hallway.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep. Why would your care? Don't you have a new girlfriend to take care of?" again she snapped even more harshly than before.

"What is going on with you?" When she didn't answer, I pulled her off into the nearby janitor's closet, closing the door softly and turning the light on. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Troy, I have to get to class. I've never…"

"I know, you've never been late to a class ever since you started school. I remember Gabi. But, I'm not letting you go until you tell me why you're a different person." I moved myself in front of the door, locking the doorknob in the process.

"Again I ask the question why do you care?" She finally met my eyes with an angry expression plastered on her face.

"I do care. I always have, I always will. Gabi, you were my real first love and, I don't care what you think of me, but I'm worried about you. First you miss like a week of school because you were 'sick' and now you're dressing like this…" I gestured towards her clothes. "…and then you don't even talk to me and when I try to talk to you or try to make sure that everything's okay, you totally blow me off and snap at me. What's going on?" I explained, getting frustrated.

"It's none of your business. It wasn't any of your business when you were making out with your girlfriend right after we broke up and it's none of your business now. So if you don't mind, while there's still some time left before the bell rings, I would like to get to class." She glared at me with a glare that I couldn't argue with so I opened the door, let her go out and then followed her, breaking off into the math classroom.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

I kept on trying to talk to Gabriella…at lunch, in science, even during my free period that I usually spent in the gym with the guys, practicing for the game that week. She wouldn't have anything to do with me and I was running out of ideas on how to get her to tell me.

"Ask Gabriella if she's okay." I had Zeke, Jason and Chad crowded around the bench up in my secret hiding place on top of the roof. "Something's going on and she won't tell me."

"Well then what makes you think that she'll tell one of us. If she's not going to tell you, then she defiantly won't tell us." Chad responded, getting the other two to agree with him.

"Just try, that's all I'm asking. Callie said that it had something to do with the break-up, but I doubt that. It's something much bigger."

"So, how are you and Callie? You guys okay?" Jason blurted, receiving stares from all three of us.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zeke asked, smacking Jason in the back of the head.

"What was that for?"

"Just ask her…that's all you guys have to do. It shouldn't be that hard." I stopped the fight that would've happened before it could even start. I got up and started going down the stairs, looking in the guys' direction. "Are you guys coming?" They all nodded and then realized they actually had to move their legs in order to even make it to the stairs. _Idiots…_

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"How was school today?" I hadn't even closed the front door before my mom bombarded me with that same question she asked me everyday.

"It was fine." And I gave her the same answer everyday.

"Do you do anything exciting in school?" I shook my head. "Oh, okay then. Well, dinner should be ready soon. I'll call you down when it is?" I nodded and then trudged up the stairs with me backpack hitting each stair as I dragged it up with me. Opening the door to my room, I dropped the heavy backpack next to the door and jumped onto my bed…_what a day!_

"Did you ask her?" I answered my cell phone, skipping any formal greeting that I would've normally said.

"Yes, but it's negative. She just said that you should mind your own business." That was Chad's voice.

"Same here." Jason's voice…

"And here." And then finally Zeke's voice.

"Why does she keep doing this to me?" I whispered angrily, placing my thumb on my temple. "Does she like to torture me or something?"

"We wouldn't know. But it seems to me that she's just moving on, like you should be doing…" Chad hinted.

"What do you mean 'like you should be doing'? I have a girlfriend, I think that's moving on." I explained.

"No, just because you have a girlfriend, doesn't mean anything. It may mean that you're hiding from Gabi or the problems that ya'll had. And, my point is, if you were totally over her, you wouldn't worry about her as much as you are." Zeke sounded so professional…and so right.

"Well, aren't you guys worried about her?"

"Yeah, but I respect her enough to know that when she says it's none of our business, then it's not. Just let it go…she's strong, she'll get through whatever it is she's going through…without your help." Chad answered, sounding almost like Zeke…which, I have to admit, was pretty scary, I never knew Chad had that in him.

"Thanks guys, that helped."

"Well, good. Now, Taylor's coming over soon…I have to go." I laughed at Chad…he was so stupid.

"Okay." We hung up and I returned to my silent room, still thinking about what the guys said. Was I really over Gabriella? Or _was_ I just hiding from all the mistakes that we made…maybe we could've worked through it, whatever it was. But it was too late, I knew that, especially if I did want to work through anything with her, it would involve more than one person this time…


	5. Someone's Watching Over Me

Chapter 5 – Someone's Watching Over Me

_So I won't give up_

_No I won't break down_

_Sooner than it feels life turns around_

_And I will be strong_

_Even if it all goes wrong_

_When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe_

_Someone's watchin over me_

3 months later…Gabriella's POV:

I was scared out of my mind. Something wasn't right and I knew that, but I didn't do anything about it. It was during chemistry, one of my favorite classes and I felt something sharp in my back. It wasn't the baby kicking, I knew what that felt like. No, this was something different. Sitting helped a little, but not a lot. Each time it happened, I pretended that it was a scratch and I reached behind me, pressing in on the spot to relieve the pain. Half of chemistry was enough and I couldn't take it any longer. I kept looking over at Taylor, trying to get her attention but she wouldn't look back at me. Finally I raised my hand.

"Yes, Gabriella?" Mrs. Wells raised her eyebrow at me as the whole class looked at me…even Taylor.

"Can I please go to the bathroom?" She nodded and while she filled the pass out, I whispered to Taylor that I needed her really badly. She was worried…really worried, possibly more than I was as she nodded over and over again.

"Here you go Gabi." Mrs. Wells handed me the pass and I took it willingly, stepping outside of the classroom. But I didn't go to the bathroom. I waited outside the door for Taylor, small tears streaming down my face, wanting to just sit down and cry…but I couldn't, especially not with Troy watching me. It was true, he was staring at me intently, watching me almost as if he was going to jump up, run out of the classroom and hold me while I cried into his shirt. He said something to Chad and Zeke who sat near him and then mouthed something to me. I didn't know what I was doing by that point, I guess I responded by nodding my head or something…all I wanted was for Taylor to come out of class.

"Yes Taylor." I heard Mrs. Wells say and the next thing I knew, Taylor was right there next to me, saying that everything was going to be okay. I looked back into the room, finding all the guys; Troy, Zeke, Chad, Jason and Ryan staring back at me worried and Kelsi and Sharpay confused.

"Lets go." she whispered, taking a hold of my arm to support me as we walked to the bathroom. Once there, she made me sit on the heater thing that was up against the window. "Now, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." I cried softly. The last thing I needed was a principal or teacher to come in and find me…no one knew about the baby. "It just hurts."

"Well, you're not in labor are you?"

"No. I can't be, it's way too early." That was the one thing that worried me the most…the baby being born too early. It couldn't be happening, I had to tell myself that, there was no way it was labor. "Taylor, please…"

"What? I don't know what you want me to do." She sounded angry with me, but I knew that she was only trying to help.

"Never mind. I'm fine now, I guess it was just something that is now gone. I'm fine." I stood up, grasped the medium sized 'bump' underneath my shirt just to make sure that the baby was still there…_please God, don't make me lose my baby…_I was answered with a hard kick from the baby, which made me smile in relief.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Taylor asked again and I nodded, looking behind me as she followed me back to class.

"I'm sure."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Taylor and I returned back to class and the pain hadn't. Well, that was until ten minutes after I got back…and it was worse, so bad that I was silently crying. Mrs. Wells didn't seem to notice, but everyone else did. I could feel their eyes on me, but I felt Troy's eyes more than anyone else's. Sitting diagonally in front of him didn't help either.

"Gabriella…" he whispered. I wiped my eyes before I looked his way. "You need to get out of here. Just leave, tell her you're going to the bathroom or the nurse and just leave." I shook my head, trying to keep the tears from sliding out of my eyes. "Gabi…I can tell you're _not_ feeling good, please go."

"I can't, Troy. I can't miss any more school." I answered, trying to relieve my nerves with deep breaths.

"Gabi…"

"Gabriella, Troy? Is this something that you should share with the class?" Mrs. Wells interrupted, glancing at the both of us.

"Actually…" Troy started.

"Troy no. Please…" I pleaded, looking at him harshly, or as harshly as I could considering the situation.

"Gabi…" he stopped me. "Mrs. Wells, Gabriella does not feel very well and she refuses to leave class. I think that you should excuse her and just let her go home…please, she's crying and I really think she needs to leave." Mrs. Wells approached me and looked down at my hung head.

"Gabriella, is this true?" I shook my head. "Gabriella, look at me." I did as I was told and she smiled a sad smile. "You don't feel good, do you?" Again, I shook my head, tears sliding down my cheeks. "Troy, I need you to assist Gabi out of the building…here's a pass. Don't worry, no one will stop you."

"Mrs. Wells, can't someone else help me? I mean, Troy's on the basketball team, he doesn't need to miss anything important." I panicked, he would find out…I just knew it.

"Ms. Montez, it's okay. Nothing important is going to be taught now…it's just a review. Now go, both of you." she shooed us out of the class. Troy took my hand with his and turned me to face him.

"What's the matter? Tell me exactly what hurts."

"Right now…my heart. Looking at you, right now, comforting me…you shouldn't be here. I can make it on my own, I swear." I released my hand from him, started walking and then almost collapsed, catching myself on the wall.

"You really think you can make it out of here?" he joked, or at least I thought it was a joke. "C'mon…give me your hand." He held out his hand for me again and I just looked at it, not impressed. "Gabriella, I'm just trying to help." _I knew that!_

"Fine." I snapped, taking his offered hand as he helped my to balance once again. I bit my lower lip, tears almost coming again as the pain resurfaced…that being the only thing I focused on for the rest of the 'trip' to my car. Troy and I didn't talk for the rest of the time he helped me out, we just kept walking.

"Come here…" Troy pulled me closer, reaching for my arms as we finally arrived at my car. I made sure not to lean my stomach against his body, but he made it harder than it sounded. "Everything will be okay." He held me there for what seemed like forever, slowly moving his hand across my back soothingly. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, no. That won't be necessary." He opened the door for me, watched me get in and then stood there, waiting for something. "Troy, thank you."

"No problem." He slammed the door shut and started walking away while I started the car, slowly pulling out of the parking space and head home.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Momma! Momma!!" I screamed, bursting through the front door, crying again. She wasn't in the living room, her usual place when I returned from school. She wasn't in the kitchen, another one of her favorite places to be. I couldn't find her.

"Gabriella? Is that you?" she answered from what seemed like my bedroom. _No, it's not me…I'm just screaming momma!_ I rushed up the stairs as fast as I could, gripping the railing while I did. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know. It started in school, I don't know what's going on." She looked at me, asked me where it hurt and then rushed me down the stairs again, giving me my full workout for like a month, and then pushed me into the car. "Wait, where are we going?"

"The hospital."

"No, mom. We can't."

"Gabriella, you don't play around with these types of things. It's a life, not just a scratch or something small." my mom argued, raising her voice which was something she never did with me. But she was right, it wasn't just _a_ life, it was my baby's life and I needed to protect that. We arrived at the hospital around 1:15, but I didn't get called until 2:00.

"Gabriella Montez…" I heard the nurse say and I stood up with the help of my mom and waddled over to her. "Hi." I just smiled. She showed me and my mom to a room down the hallway a little bit and then instructed me to change into the ugliest gown I had ever seen. I mean, seriously…who wants to where a gown that has no back, a really disgusting pattern on it, and being pregnant really doesn't help any. The bathroom was a small space, white plain walls surrounded. I looked in the mirror just before I walked out and saw that my stomach was bigger than I had thought it was…which, I don't know why because I was 6 months along.

"Gabriella?" my mom called in for me. I opened the door, holding the back of the gown, got in the bed as the nurse had directed me to do and then just sat there until they did some tests or something.

"You're in labor." The doctor came in, bluntly blurting it out. I pretended not to hear him…I just sat there, staring at the wall in front of me. I could hear my mom talking to him, saying something about how the baby would never make it…blah, blah, blah. Zoning out was one of me specialties, only I was thinking about stuff, mainly about Troy. I was in labor, I couldn't do anything about that now, but I could tell me…this process of deciding on whether or not to tell him went on and on and on sometimes. It happened very often.

"Gabriella…" the doctor shook me back just as I was going to convince myself that he was going to know…I would tell him.

"Mmm?"

"We're going to stop it with some drugs. We're going to keep you overnight though, just to make sure that the drugs work. It'll be okay, I won't let your baby die…I promise." The doctor smiled and then left while my mom addressed me with some details, focusing on school and my friends.

"I need to call Taylor. I need to talk to her." I blurted, interrupting my mom mid sentence. She nodded, handed me the phone and then dialed the number as I held the phone up to my ear.

_"Hello?"_

"Tay, it's Gabi."

_"Are you okay? Please tell me you and you know what are okay?"_

"Umm…that's why I'm calling. And since when did you call it 'you know what'?"

_"Chad's here…that's why. What's wrong?"_

"I'm in labor, you were right…."

_"I'm on my way…"_ I didn't have time to tell her that everything was okay, that they were going to find a way to stop it, she hung up too quickly.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Oh my gosh, Gabriella…" Taylor ran through the door, closely followed by Chad sheepishly entering the room with his hands in his pockets.

"Um, Taylor…what is he doing here?" Chad came up next to Taylor at the side of the bed, smiling at my mom.

"He knows." I looked at her angrily. "Well, he had to drive me here, how else would I be here right now?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the bus or something!" I yelled back at her. She rested her arm around Chad's shoulder unknowingly.

"I'm never in my life going to take the bus when I know people with cars. Anyway, he's totally okay with everything." I glanced in my mom's direction, trying to get her advice on what to say to Chad, but she didn't answer.

"Yep, I know everything. Even the fact that it's Troy's." he whispered. "Why aren't you telling him? You know he would help…"

"I'm not telling him and that's all you need to know." I snapped. "Taylor, I didn't want you to tell anyone…"

"I know, I'm sorry." she replied.

"Look, I just called you to tell you that I _was _in labor, but they're going to somehow stop it so the baby won't be born. I'm not going to be in school tomorrow, so I need you to get the work for me. Can you do that?" She could tell that I was angry with her. I could see her start to close up inside and, for that, I felt bad but I couldn't help it…I was mad. "And, Chad, you have to swear to me that you won't tell Troy…not even a whisper or a hint about it….got it?" He raised his eyebrow and nodded.

"It's just the drugs guys…believe me." my mom commented and Taylor and Chad smiled, making their way towards the door.

"Hope you feel better." Those were the last words I really, truly rememeberd.


	6. Gone

AN: I absolutely love all the reviews this is getting. I had someone say that a friend of theirs recommended this story ::excitedly jumping up and down:: _Recommended_, I don't know if this is _that_ good, but I love that! I'm soo happy ya'll love it. This chapter is going to be short because, as you can probably tell, the baby's going to be born soon…and that's the good part!!! Enjoy! Oh, and Troy will find out, I promise, in the next chapter!!!

----------------

Chapter 6 – Gone

_I've been sitting here  
Can't get you off my mind  
I've tried my best to be a man and be strong  
I've drove myself insane  
Wishing I could touch your face  
But the truth remains.._

2 months later…Troy's POV:

I remember why it happened, mine and Gabriella's break up that is. I was an idiot…that's the truth…the simple, hurtful truth. But, truth is, I really haven't be as happy as I was with her, even though Callie is an amazing girlfriend…it's just not the same. Gabi had quietly disappeared for about a week a month ago and Chad knew that it was something serious, so I stopped by to see her, but she wouldn't let me in or even talk to me. It's strange, I didn't think that our break up was _this _big…

"Hi Gabi." We had ended up walking into chemistry together and she smiled at me for the first time in forever, that smile that had captivated my heart, what seemed like, a million years ago.

"Hi." The sweet voice made my stomach churn with mixed emotions and butterflies arose again, just like when we were together. I watched her take a seat next to Taylor, whispering something and then smiled at me again.

"Dude, you're drooling." Zeke and Jason entered the class behind me, joking. "And, as I recall, she's not even your girlfriend anymore."

"Shut up." I glared at them as I finally took my seat. I couldn't help but look at her the whole class, something was different…it was a good different though. She was wearing make up for the first time in forever, and her clothes actually had some color to them. Yes, she was getting back to normal.

Class ended, again, just as fast as it had started and nothing really important happened…besides, I wasn't paying any attention to the teacher anyway.

"Again, stop drooling." Chad whispered in my ear just as him and Taylor got together like the did after every class, but Gabriella joined them this time, so naturally so did I. I shot Chad a 'don't tell her anything' glare and he just shook it off with a 'yeah, whatever' shrug.

"So, Gabriella, what's with the new look? It's a surprise…" Chad blurted, receiving a punch in the stomach by Taylor's elbow and a smack in the back of the head from me. "What?"

"It's okay guys…I don't know Chad, I just feel different." she stammered and then looked my way again, smiling.

"Dude, girlfriend alert." And Chad was right. Callie was heading our way, perfectly timed on her arrival too…I had to talk to her.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later. Bye, Gabriella." I addressed her personally and she waved back. "Hey, Callie."

"What was that?" she blurted, angry about something…but it was nothing I had done because I hadn't done anything…well, not yet.

"What was what?"

"That wave? Are you guys actually getting along?" She glanced back at Gabriella, Taylor and Chad walking and then looked back at me with her 'angry eyes' as she called them.

"About that…we need to talk."

"I knew it. You want to break up because you feel those feelings again with Gabi." she interrupted, shocking me…I was totally speechless.

"Actually, yes. I'm sorry…" I answered, watching her face sadden. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah. I'm fine…" she raised her hand, took mine with it and then pulled me in for a sweet, goodbye kiss. "Now, go tell her…good luck."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

I took my usual route to Gabriella's house…by sidewalk and then snuck through her back gate. I softly walked up to the tree that used to serve as my ladder up to her balcony, trying at the same time not to step on any twigs that would give away my cover. The bark was still half gone from my shoes scraping it off when I would have to make a quick escape just before her mom would come up. I missed those days. Climbing up the tree all I could think about was what I was going to say when I mysteriously show up at her window/door again…or what was I going to say when I wanted to ask her out again…I never knew that I would worry so much about those kinds of things. Finally, I was on her balcony, swinging my leg over the railing and I saw her in front swaying in front of the mirror.

"Whenever you remember times gone by…remember how we held our head so high…when all this world was there for us…and we believed that we could touch the sky…" she sang, stopping suddenly. "Your daddy and I are actually being civil to one another, baby. It's actually kind of nice talking to him again…" _Your daddy…baby!!!_ She was pregnant? That couldn't be…it just couldn't. I wanted to leave, right then and there, but my legs wouldn't move…so I stayed sitting on the railing in the corner. "I love him, sweetie, I still do. But I don't know if I could ever open up to him again, not after he just so suddenly broke up with me." _Gosh_…she looked so beautiful standing there still, even though I was so confused…I don't think I've ever been so confused in my life. "I just want you to be here soon, so I can have a face to tell all my secrets to. I love you baby."

I left, I couldn't take it anymore. I knew the baby wasn't mine, it couldn't have been because she would've known before we had broken up. She was seeing another guy and I had just broken up with my girlfriend…again, I was stupid. Why was I so stupid?...I wish I knew the answer to that question.


	7. Family

Chapter 7 – Family

_We are a family_

_Like a giant tree_

_Branching out towards the sky_

_We are a family_

_We are so much more_

_Than just you and I_

_We are a family_

_Like a giant tree_

_Growing stronger, growing wiser_

1 month later…Gabi's POV:

Lunch was when it all started. I was sitting with Taylor at our usual table, trying to figure out why all of a sudden Troy was avoiding me like the plague. _We were getting along just fine and then_…

"Oh no." I said. I could feel my eyes widen when my braid actually realized what had happened. "Taylor…" I poked her in the back, but she put her finger up as she returned back to the conversation she was having with some girl. "Taylor…" Again, she put her finger up and I kept poking her. "Taylor!"

"What?" she snapped, turning around quickly.

"Now…" That was all I had to say and she was instantly up, over at Chad's side telling him and then right back next to me, helping me up and out to the car.

"C'mon, we're taking my car." Chad led us over there, pushed me into the back seat while Taylor sat up front, panicking.

"Um, shouldn't we take my car?" Chad shook his head at my question. "Well, then why can't Taylor follow us there in my car? I don't want to leave it here."

"She's right." Taylor agreed. "She is the one staying there longer than we are." She gave Chad a peck on the cheek and then turned in my direction. "I'll see you there." I gave her a thumbs up and then the door slammed shut.

"Are you okay?" Chad asked from the mirror, finding me lying down in the back seat. I nodded. "Okay, just…don't do anything yet."

"Like I can help it."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"My friend is…" Chad ran into the hospital, not even taking the time to get me out of the car. "…she's in labor and well, you should know the rest."

"Where is she?" Chad looked behind him, saw me just shuffling along and then ran out to get me inside while Taylor parked my car. "Okay, she's right here." The nurse smiled, sat me down in a wheelchair, called my mom, had Taylor fill out some paperwork and then it was all smooth sailing from there.

That's a lie…it hurt like crap…I knew that it would, but it was far much worse than what people had told me. Every time the pain came, it was stronger and more painful.

"This is why I'm never having kids." Taylor announced to everyone in the room. I had ended up telling everyone but Troy…something I never regretted.

"Yea, I'm pretty much not having any now…thanks Gabi, you just had to ruin that idea." Kelsi joked as I gave her a 'no problem' glare.

"Well you want to take my place for me?" They thought I was joking when I said that. "No, I'm serious."

"Okay, when is she going to get the drugs so she can return back to normal?" Chad asked my mom, who laughed at him.

"She'll be okay, I promise…"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I walked into my house, threw my backpack down as usual and then went into the kitchen. My dad and mom were heating up something for dinner, it smelled really good.

"Hey dad." I greeted him, in which he just looked up at me. "You okay? You don't look good."

"I don't feel very well, but that you for you concern." I shrugged the sarcastic remark off, took a bottle of water and then went up in my room. I jumped on my bed, cuddled up in a ball and then just as I was about to fall asleep…

"TROY!!!"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

"Oh, I love drugs. Don't you just love drugs." I had just received the thingy they called some long word that started with an "e" and I felt so much better. No pain, just numbness…that's what I wanted all along.

"For this purpose, then yes. We love drugs." Ryan answered me, smiling. I smiled back and then sat there, swaying back and forth, back and forth until the doctor or nurse came in.

"Gabriella, you're almost ready to deliver." I noticed that the doctor wasn't all that bad looking…yes, he was older, but maybe he would give me a chance. "Maybe another hour and you'll have your baby."

"That's a good thing." He smiled, and I realized that he looked a lot like Troy and it didn't help that I was hallucinating that Troy's face was plastered on the doctor's face. "Okay, you can go now." I could see my mom stand up in the corner, about ready to shout something at me, but the doctor stopped her. "Thank you." I whispered as he left, glancing back at me just before he shut the door.

"She's on drugs, Ms. Montez. Just remember that before you kill her and your grandchild."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I never did like hospitals. I always thought that the only time I'd ever be in one would be when my kids were born…but I was here earlier than I hoped. I don't know, I guess the fact that dead/dying people surrounding me just freaked me out…I was waiting for Frankenstein to turn the corner and grab me, eventually bringing me down to the basement and kill me.

"Troy…this way." My mom ushered me into a plain, white hallway and into a room. My dad had decided to have an asthma attack and the doctors wanted to keep him overnight to run some tests, so I would probably be there all night. He didn't _decide_, he just did…I guess he felt like it. He looked so pale though, something that I knew didn't happen on just some regular asthma attack…the person usually turned blue.

"Hey Troy." His voice was raspy as he motioned for me to come closer to the bedside. I did, and it was then that I could really see his "age" marks. They were big fat wrinkles.

"Yeah." He told me to sit down in the chair there and then he took my hand. I felt as though he was saying goodbye like he was going to die soon.

"Promise me that you'll take care of your mother while I'm sleeping." I sighed relief when those words 'I'm sleeping' came from his mouth. "I know she'll be worrying about me, so I need you to do that." I nodded. "That's my boy." _That's the first time he's said that in forever_…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

"Oh my gosh, Gabriella, she's amazing. She's so beautiful." Everyone was gathered at the side of my bed, looking down at the big blue eyes that were staring up at them back. "She looks so much like Troy."

"I know." I answered, smiling down at my daughter…I was a mother. It took me a while to process that. I slid my finger into the little tiny hands that reached up as she curled her tiny fingers, which looked like stubs, around it.

"She looks like a basketball player…" Chad threw it out there as people laughed.

"Is that all you think about?" Taylor asked, smacking him in the face.

"Yes. That and you." Soft 'awws' filled the room. _That's so sweet_…

"Um, mommy, what's her name. We're going to fill out the birth certificate to get it out of the way." the nurse interrupted, holding the piece of paper in one hand and a big fat marker in the other.

"Adriana Michelle."

"And the last name…I'm assuming it's Montez, right?" she asked. I looked around at all the faces in the room, I had told no one about this last part.

"No."

"What?" they all gasped.

"It's Bolton." I could see all the guys smiling, but my mother wasn't too thrilled.

"Gabriella, you give this baby her daddy's last name when she'll never know him!?" she yelled, giving the room an unwanted tension that lingered in the room.

"Okay mommy, little miss Adriana is going to the nursery. She'll be back later…say see you later." I kissed Adriana's forehead softly, whispering 'Mommy loves you' in her tiny ear and then handed her carefully to the outstretched arms of the nurse. If Troy was there, I would've told him to follow them to make sure that she would be okay, but he wasn't.

"Mom, it was my decision. She needed something of her fathers, and I didn't know what she would look like. It's okay, and if you have a problem with then that's okay too."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

My mom said that my dad would be okay…that and that she needed some alone time with him. So I left and went up a couple floors, touring the building. The glass windows peering into the nursery or whatever it was fascinated me. The tiny little people that were just welcomed into the world…_gosh, they're so cute!_ There was this little boy named Charlie, a chubby little baby. He kept trying to get his feet into his mouth, as if it was a game and if he didn't something bad would happen. It amused me. Row and row and row of babies intrigued me, each one had a different quality that made them special. There was this one, a girl, that had the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen in a newborn. No hair, but I could tell that it didn't matter to her. I looked at her and she smiled, trying to say something as well. She didn't have any teeth either, but her gums that showed when she smiled were just as bright as her teeth would've been. I looked for the name thing so I could see if her parents were crazy in naming their kid something that they weren't, but what I came across was far more terrifying. _Last name: Bolton_

_It couldn't be…_


	8. Dare You To Move

AN: Ya'll are absolutely amazing! I have to give credit to my friend, Allie, for the idea on how Troy found out about the baby…so, Allie, thanks so much! I also have to give credit to bookworm3 for the idea of Troy climbing onto the balcony again…again, thanks. So, this is the chapter that everyone's been waiting for…including me, enjoy!!!

Chapter 8 – Dare You To Move

_Welcome to the fallout  
Welcome to resistance  
The tension is here  
Between who you are and who you could be  
Between how it is and how it should be_

Troy's POV:

_It couldn't be…Last name: Bolton, Last name: Bolton…_that tiny little baby girl, staring me back in the face could _not_ be my daughter. Gabriella would've told me…_9 months ago when we broke up!!_ I smacked myself in the head over and over again. That totally explained everything; the clothing change, the mood swings, the avoiding me and the mysterious disappearances. What it didn't explain was why that little girl had my name. I had to find Gabi, I had to figure all these things out starting with why she didn't tell me that the baby was mine.

"Please tell me there's a Gabriella Montez here somewhere..." I huffed towards the nurse at a desk as I caught my breath from running.

"And you are?" she asked while she put something into the computer in front of her. I felt like a criminal being interrogated by a police dude.

"Her boyfriend." No hesitation came with that statement for some reason. She looked at me with a confused look on her face.

"Then if you're her boyfriend, how come you weren't there for the birth of your baby? Are you one of those boyfriends that don't think that you should do anything until the baby's born?" I felt like yelling at her for asking such as question, it was none of her business.

"Can you please just tell me where she is?"

"Room 220." 220, 220, 220…_I have to remember that_. Running did not come easily to me that day for some reason. There was a room 119 and a room 221, but I could not find room 220. Again and again, I searched, running past those two rooms over and over again.

"You must be so proud Gabi…" I heard from the hallway, coming from the one room that I hadn't even looked at the number. That was it…220. It didn't sound like her mom, the voice was too deep for it to even be a girls voice.

No POV:

Troy stood out in the hallway, just looking up at the number of the room above the door. Was he to go in and possibly upset the calm environment that was already in place? Or was he to just ask Gabriella about it later?

"Well, at least Troy's not here to protest on the name. I remember when your father and I argued over your name the day you were born." Troy recognized that as Gabi's mom, not from her comment, but by her soft voice. _I have to go in…_, he told himself. To him it was like entering an enemy's court to play a game…the people didn't even recognize that he was there.

"I just want to see her again, to hold her…" Gabriella stopped as her eyes fell upon the boy in the doorway. His face was so robotic, no feelings were being shown. She expected him to come in and yell at her, but so far it was just silence. Everyone had noticed by then, all almost turning blue at the awkwardness that was present.

"We'll leave now. You two have some talking to do." The gang left without her mom, who just kept standing there.

"Mom, that means you too." Ms. Montez looked at her daughter sitting upright in the bed, looked at Troy and then silently left. The teenagers stared at each other for the longest time, neither one of then wanting to be the first one to say something.

"Troy…" Gabi began, but Troy quickly rose his hand to stop her.

"You have a daughter, congratulations." he responded harshly, still standing in the doorway. "See I can't seem to grasp the reason why you didn't tell me. My gosh, Gabriella, you kept my daughter a secret from me! Did it make you feel better or something, like you were getting revenge?" He kept raising his voice with every different sentence until he got to a medium yell.

"Revenge? You really think that I wanted revenge on you?...for what?"

"Oh, don't give me that 'for what?' crap…you know exactly what I'm talking about, the break up?! That ring a bell?" Gabriella cringed for no apparent reason. Now she understood what her mother was saying about regretting not telling him, this was so not worth it.

"I'm sorry."

"No, an 'I'm sorry' is not going to save you from this Gabi." he argued. "Did you think that I wouldn't find out?"

"No. Troy, I wanted to tell you…everyday when I saw you in the hallways I wanted to come up to you and tell you straight out that it was yours, but I couldn't." she explained softly.

"Why not?" He finally stepped all the way in the room, lowering his voice.

"You're not going to hurt her like you hurt me, Troy. I promised her that I wouldn't let you."

"What makes you think that I'm going to hurt her?" Gabriella gave him that look that told him he knew what the answer was. "Look just because I broke up with you doesn't mean that I wouldn't love that little girl…"

"No, you're not coming anywhere near her. She doesn't deserve to go through the pain that you caused me…I promised her and I can't break that." Troy was just beginning to calm down, but then he got angrier than before.

"I have a right to my daughter Gabriella!! You can't take her away from me."

"Troy, calm down. We can have a nice, civil conversation about this an-"

"No, it became uncivil when you said I can't ever be apart of my daughter's life. That's enough for me." Troy turned around for the door, walking that way. "Gabriella, I will fight you on this. If not just you and me, then in court."

"You wouldn't." she gasped.

"I will." And on that note, Troy left and started to make his way back to the same window in which he had discovered he had a kid.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

I couldn't believe that he said that…he couldn't take Adriana from me…it had to be illegal or something, it just had to be.

"How'd it go?" my mom returned to the room with a small cup of something in her hand. I didn't answer, I just smiled at her with tears forming in my eyes. "Oh, honey. It's okay, it'll be okay." She placed the cup on the table beside my bed and wrapped her arms around me while I placed my head on her chest now in a full sob.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I couldn't believe I had said that I would fight Gabi for the baby. I couldn't do that, it wouldn't be fair to my daughter, but it wouldn't be fair for her not to know me. I wasn't planning on going through with the whole 'I'll take you to court thing'. I just thought that would scare her into letting me at least know the baby, which I didn't even ask what her name was.

"Troy…" I was standing at the window again, looking at the empty bassinet thing that my daughter used to be in when what sounded like Chad came up beside me. "They're pretty cute huh?" I didn't answer. "Look, Troy…I wanted to tell you, but-"

"But what? You promised her?" I yelled. He nodded and then Taylor came up next to him, holding his hand.

"Troy, don't get mad at him. He's not at fault here." she told me and when she did, I just got even more angrier.

"Yes he is! All of you are! You knew about it and yet everyday you had the chance to tell me, you just acted like everything was fine. I have never felt so betrayed by my friends in my entire life." I wanted to smack someone, no I needed to smack someone so I punched the wall. "You were my best friend, Chad. Did it never occur to you that maybe I could help Gabriella or do something for her? No…ya'll just decided to keep the biggest secret of my life from me and think that it's okay, everything will be okay, he'll understand and forgive us. Well, I'm sorry. Nothing's okay, I'm not going to forgive any one of you. In fact, I'm leaving…I don't want to see your faces." I walked down the hallway, hearing every guy shout my name to try to stop me, but I ignored them.

I got down to my dad's room and saw my mom still in the spot that I had left her in.

"You look…well, you've looked better." My dad was awake, I hadn't noticed until that moment.

"Yeah."

"What happened?" my mom turned her attention to me. I sat down in the chair by the door, my hand holding up my head.

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this exactly." I took a deep breath and then just decided to come clean with them. "I have a kid, a little girl. I had no clue until a couple of minutes ago, but she's beautiful. The only thing is, Gabriella won't let me in the baby's life…she says I'll hurt the baby like I hurt her." I watched their faces as they tried to digest everything that I had just said…it was actually funny. I expected my dad to like yell and scream, but he laughed for some reason.

"Well, that's an interesting story." he finally said. "What did you tell her?"

"I want to be apart of my daughter's life. I want to help Gabi in any way, but she wouldn't hear it."

"Well, how did you say it?" he asked again while my mom still processed everything.

"Um, at first it was yelling and then it got softer and then it was back to yelling, yeah that was it." I answered as he laughed again.

"You need to go back up there to see her and work this out in a different way. Maybe compromise or something, say something that she'll want to hear." he explained, flicking his hand in the direction of the door. "Go son."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

No POV:

Troy was in that same spot again, looking at the numbers above Gabriella's room. But it wasn't a question of whether he was going in, it was what he was going to say that was making him nervous.

"So your daddy and I finally came face to face about you and, well lets just say that he wasn't too happy about mommy not telling him…" Gabi held Adriana in her arms, watching the baby's face react to the movements of Gabi's mouth on certain words.

"Hey." Troy said softly in a deep voice, the way he used to do when he entered a room after they had a fight…it was the deep, sexy whisper that said 'I'm sorry'. Ms. Montez tensed up, but Gabi just motioned for her to leave and she acceptingly did. Troy watched the little girl in Gabi's arms play with Gabi's dangling hair…she was so cute. "What's her name?"

"Adriana Michelle Bolton." Gabriella watched Troy stroll over to her and the baby slowly and then sat on the edge of the bed, taking the girl's hand.

"That's a beautiful name." Those big blue eyes that Adriana had looked from her mommy to her daddy and then just stayed on Troy. "Hi baby. I'm your daddy, but you probably knew that…everyone knew except me."

"Troy…"

"Gabriella, I'm not here to argue, okay. I just want to talk." he told her, seeing Gabriella's eyes soften a little bit more at him. "Why does she have my last name and not yours?"

"She's still your daughter Troy. She deserved to have something of yours and since I didn't know what she would look like, or even if she was a she, I decided that your last name was perfect. That part I didn't tell anyone, they all found out just like you did, surprised." she explained.

"Can I?" He looked down towards Adriana and Gabi nodded. She gently transferred the baby into Troy's arms as he stood up to receive her.

"Just support the head." Troy nodded at Gabriella's advice and pushed Adriana's head onto his elbow with his hand underneath it. Gabriella watched Troy swing with their baby girl resting comfortingly in his arms, it was so sweet she was about to cry.

"I want to be a part of her life, Gabs. I know that you made a promise to keep her away from me, but honestly I can't hurt her…she's too precious."

"You say that now, but…"

"No, there are no buts. I saw you about a two months ago in your room, dancing in front of the mirror to some song. I had climbed up that tree and onto your balcony to tell you that I had broken up with Callie because I wanted to get back together with you. But, then I heard you talking and I found out that you were pregnant, I just didn't think that it was mine." Gabriella's cheeks were a bright pink. She didn't want anyone to see her dancing because, one, she couldn't and, two, she was probably in the worst clothes ever.

"You saw that?" Troy laughed and nodded just as Adriana let out a little screech. "What was that?"

"I think that was our daughter laughing at us." Troy handed her back to Gabriella and then took a seat closer to the girls. "Just to get this straight, she's not dating until she's at least 22."

"Troy, don't you think it's little too early to decide that?" Gabi smiled at him for the first real time and it defiantly made him feel all 'tingly' inside.

"No. I saw how chubby Charlie was looking at her in while they were in the nursery thingy and I'm telling you now…she's not dating until she's old." Gabi laughed softly. "What?"

"Chubby Charlie? Who's that?"

"Oh, it's this little boy I saw while I was looking at the babies, before I knew about this little one right here. I'm telling you, they had a little thing going on." He smiled and then looked back at Adriana. "She's beautiful."

"She has your eyes."

"Well, she has your smile."

"No she doesn't, I think she has your entire face but with my ears." Gabriella and Troy argued about two minutes on what features Adriana had of theirs, which was ridiculous, but they were getting along and that's all that mattered at that time.

"Gabriella, I never meant what I said about taking you to court. I was just upset. I'm sorry." Troy whispered in the little bit of silence that had followed their childish argument.

"I thought you said that you weren't here to argue." Gabriella raised her head from look at Adriana to lose herself in Troy's ocean blue eyes. She could feel it too, just like he did a minute ago, those feelings that had never really left…they were back and stronger than ever.

"I'm not. I'm here to say I'm sorry and to ask you something."

"Shoot." Troy took a deep breath, closing his eyes to prepare him for what he was going to ask.

"Gabriella, will you………"

_I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move_


	9. I Want You Back

AN: Hey guys. I'm so, so, so, so sorry about the wait. I couldn't figure out what to right next and then when I did, I didn't know how to write it. But that's all over now and I have to credit Allie for helping me write some of it in English class. Okay, anyway…enjoy!

Chapter 9 – I Want You Back

_You're all I ever wanted  
You're all I ever needed, yeah  
So tell me what to do now  
When I want you back_

Gabi's POV: 4 weeks later, 3:00 PM…

Hospitals. A very plain, simple word used everyday among people and yet it scared me to death. Those and spiders…spiders scared me to death too.

The ride to the hospital, in the ambulance, was the longest, most horrifying ride I had ever had in my life. Adriana was screaming, with good reason too with the amount of needles they were poking into her soft skin. Her skin had lost some of the deep blue color that it was that same afternoon, but it was still a nice blue. Her breathing wasn't regular or right, however they described it to me. My heart, I swear was going to break or something, it was pounding in my chest so hard and at one point the ambulance guys looked at my pale face to make sure it wasn't going to explode.

_"Now do you know what's wrong?" I confronted on guy in the blueish suit in front of me in the ambulance at the only point when Adriana had been not been a pain in the butt…they had given her a drug of some sort to calm her down, I think they called it a sedative or something like that._

_"We don't know."_

_"What do you mean you don't know?! Aren't you supposed to be doctors or something like that?" Adriana kicked my arm softly as I stared the dude down intensely._

And there was still no news, not an hour after my daughter had been taken from me into a room with doctors and nurses who had swarmed around her.

"Hey, you need anything?" Taylor whispered, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

"Actually, yeah…a phone." She beamed with happiness as she handed her black razor over to my shaking, cold hand.

"Hey, it'll be okay." I nodded and then started to dial the one and only number that came naturally off the tips of my fingers. Standing there, waiting for him to pick up was as nerve-wracking as waiting for news on Adriana. I had no clue what I was going to say to him, or how to put it lightly when I wasn't even handling the situation like I should've been.

"C'mon Troy, pick up, pick up, pick up…" Nothing except his voicemail.

"It's Troy, probably doing something basketball related, so leave a message. Oh, and if this is Gabriella, I love you." _I love you?_...He hadn't changed it since we broke up, unless…_**beep!**_

"Oh, Troy, it's Gabi. Um, I noticed you didn't change your message from when we broke up…" I took a big breath, catching myself on the focus of the real reason I was calling. "Okay, that's not the point of this message. Um, it's Adriana. I'm at the hospital and, well, you need to get here fast. I don't know what's wrong with her, they won't tell me anything and I really need you here--" …_**beep**_. The phone call went off by itself…voicemail had to have been full. "Great." The blinds in Adriana's room had been closed since she had been taken in there, I hadn't seen her in what seemed like forever and she was only 4 weeks old, she must have been scared to death and with me not in the room…I worried so much about her. I gave the phone back to Taylor, who sat in the chairs across the hall from Adriana's room with my mom who was reading a _People_ magazine that had Carrie Underwood on the front, and made my way to the glass windows that shaded my baby from me, my fingers closing into a fist to hold my head up.

"Great what?" It wasn't Taylor or my mother, the voice that had now surrounded me. It was a softer, deep voice almost sounding like Troy, but I knew it wasn't so that only left four other people. "Hey, she'll be okay."

"I know, but I really need him here you know? He needs to be here. I mean, what if…"

"Don't think like that. She's not going to die Gabs and he'll be here. You just called him right?" I nodded and then he continued with some reassuring words about how Troy would rush here.

"But what if he doesn't get the message, Ry. That's a possibility and there's always a possibility of people dying, especially 4 week old babies." I argued unconscientiously.

"Come here." He pulled me in, tightly hugging his arms around my figure that was slowly starting to retake it's shape. "Everything's going to be okay. I mean, how many more times can I, or anyone really, tell you that? She'll be okay, Troy will be here and you'll be back to normal soon enough."

"I don't think I'll ever be normal, Ryan. I'm 17 and I have a 4 week old daughter. I won't be normal until I'm like 32 or somewhere around there…I don't know, this is all happening way too fast." My heart pounded against his chest, I could barely hear myself think or his own heartbeat for that matter.

"Just relax…"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabi's POV: earlier that morning…

Four weeks later and no call or contact from Troy at all. Not a phone call, email, text, or a message through a friend…nada, which after what happened at the hospital the day Adriana was born, it surprised me. I had talked to Taylor about it, asked her to see what was going on with him just to make sure he was okay, but she didn't give me anything for me to logically understand his reasoning. You know, I had expected to raise my daughter on my own, but I also hoped that he would eventually come to his senses and help out with stuff, even if it was just the little things.

"Chicá, someone wants to see you…" my mom entered my tiny daydream, holding Adriana in her arms, who had decided to stretch just as my mom was transferring her to me. "She's a very happy, bouncy baby." I felt a smile grow on my face, but my mind had been too scattered in places that had been distant to me before that I didn't even realize what I was doing.

"Yeah, I guess she is." I answered, looking down at her as she grabbed my hair.

"What's wrong, Gabriella? You seem…out of it today." My mom pulled on the recliner stool thing that was in front of me and took a seat. I shrugged that it was nothing, but she gave me the motherly look of 'yeah right'.

"It's just stuff, that's it." Vaguely answering wasn't the right way to go on my part.

"He'll come around, babe. He has to. I saw the way he looked at you and this little girl and if he's human then he won't be able to stay away for long…just give him some time to adjust." She explained it in a 'teacher, professor' kind of way, it scared me. "Besides, you have had over 9 months to adjust, he just needs to figure stuff out and then, I promise, he'll be over here all the time to spend it with you and Adriana."

"Thank you." That was a half-lie. I actually knew the reason why he hadn't called or even stopped by.

"_Gabriella will you…" Troy sat in front of me, obviously scared to death about what was coming out of his mouth._

_"Troy, if you're about to ask me to marry you just because of Adriana, then it's a no." I interrupted. "That would just be unfair."_

_"No, no, no." he laughed in relief. "I wasn't going to ask that, I don't think we're ready for that." His eyes failed to meet mine as they lingered on our daughter in my arms. "…yet." I raised my eyebrows at the last word._

_"Yet?"_

_"Yeah, yet. Getting to my question…Gabriella, I broke up with Callie to be with you again. So, that being said, do you think we could possibly maybe get back together?" Troy asked. I didn't know what to say…maybe yes, maybe no, maybe so? I could tell he could feel me thinking so hard 'cause he opened his mouth again. "Look, just think about it. That's all I'm asking." I nodded._

We hadn't talked about it since.

"Your daddy's a good man, baby. You're going to have to remind of that sometimes." I laughed to Adriana making gurgling noises at me. "I don't know why you're laughing because that wasn't funny at all."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV: 3:30 PM…

Basketball wasn't everything it used to be, at least for me it wasn't. I was exhausted over just thinking those days, mainly about Adriana and Gabriella, and in addition to thinking about them, I had to think about plays and drills and what workout to do during free period…my life had become a stressful mess.

"Hey, what do you want us to run captain?" Chad smacked my back, sending a _crack!_ sound throughout the gym.

"Um, I don't know. You decide."

"I'm not the captain." he snapped back.

"Well, I'm making you captain for the day. Maybe even for the rest of the year." I answered, turning around for the bleachers. He was shocked, the whole team was shocked including the substitute coach that my dad had appointed until he got back on his feet. Chad screamed something, some form of a play, and then followed me.

"Troy, what's up? You okay?"

"If I was okay would I appoint you, of all people, captain for the day?" I barked back as I finally reached the bleachers, dropping down on the wooden benches underneath me. "I'm sorry…I've just been so…"

"Busy?"

"Yeah. I've been so stressed out about everything lately. I've been worried about how Adriana's been doing, I haven't even seen or talked to Gabriella in the past four weeks…I don't know what to do about anything anymore." My hands rose up, covering my face as I felt like I was going to explode any minute.

"Look, if you need time then take it…"

"Actually, I think I just need to…" I paused for a small second. "…run a few plays. But you're still captain…so what do I do?" Chad smiled and then screamed for the team to run some drills for the offense with him leading the way proudly.

About thirty minutes later, while we were running some really weird drill that Chad had miraculously come up with, I heard my phone vibrate against the bleachers so I ran over to it. _1 new voicemail…_

"Oh, Troy, it's Gabi. Um, I noticed you didn't change your message from when we broke up…Okay, that's not the point of this message. Um, it's Adriana. I'm at the hospital and, well, you need to get here fast. I don't know what's wrong with her, they won't tell me anything and I really need you here--" …_**beep**_.

I replayed that message over and over again, trying to find some hidden details that for some reason my ears weren't picking up and as usual I didn't come up with anything else than what I had.

"Troy, is everything okay?" Chad asked from the middle of the court. I shook my head. "Well what is it?"

"Adriana…"

"What about her?" Zeke and Jason questioned simultaneously, inching closer and closer to me.

"That was Gabi. She said Adriana was in the hospital and they hadn't figured out what was wrong." I blurted, throwing all my stuff into my bag. "Guys, I gotta go."

"Yeah, we're right behind you."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Chad, could you drive faster or just drop me off please?" I yelled from the back seat of Chad's, in his words, 'sportscar' as we circled the hospital parking lot over and over again.

"Would you just wait one second, there's a spot right here." And there was. He pulled quickly in, not even caring to straighten out the car as we all rushed into the building with me far in front of everyone. I ran so fast that I thought my legs would fall off with every step. The sliding glass doors annoyed me, they weren't fast enough for the speed I was going…one down and then two…_**umphf**_.

"Troy are you okay?"

Gabi's POV:

A loud thump noise filled the lobby just as the doors opened. Everyone turned around, stared at the person lying on the floor, whom I noticed was Troy, and then turned back to whatever they were doing before.

"Well, don't just stand there. He's finally here…aren't you going to go hug him or something?" Ryan pushed me towards Troy's general direction. I was hesitant yes, but seeing him, on the ground and slowly getting up, I had already felt a little bit better.

No POV:

"I'm fine…no one saw that." Troy answered Jason as the guys helped him to his feet. But so much for no one knowing, the first thing he saw was Gabriella standing there, tear stained cheeks and everything, just staring at him. Troy brushed himself off before he walked rather quickly up to her.

"I got your message." Troy whispered as she wiped her face.

"I can see that."

"Anything new?" She shook her head and just fell apart. Right there in front of him…she had never done that before, he didn't know what to do.

"Hey, hey." Troy said softly in that same deep whisper that he had used when he had apologized to Gabriella in the hospital, it was the deep, sexy whisper that said 'I'm sorry'. "She'll be okay. I mean, she takes after you right?" Gabriella smiled slightly and then collapsed in Troy's arms, crying.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV: earlier that morning

_It's hard to say I'm sorry  
It's hard to make the things I did undone   
A lesson I've learned too well, for sure  
So don't hang up the phone now  
I'm trying to figure out just what to do  
I'm going crazy without you_

"I can't believe you haven't talked to the mother of your child in three weeks!" Taylor came into math class, storming mad at me, with good reason too.

"Okay, in my defense, I need time to adjust to everything that's going on in my life right now. Suddenly I'm a father, Gabi and I are dealing with some stuff and my dad's recovering from a heart attack/asthma attack. I've got to have some time to myself so I can figure everything out." I explained, watching Taylor back off slightly with every sentence.

"Nice try." _That was bluntly put_. I knew she was right, I knew that I should've been with Gabriella rather than here, but I needed to be here for basketball purposes.

_"So what now?" I asked Gabi when it was just us for a while in the hospital the day Adriana was born. She shrugged and smiled at me, sliding over in her bed as she patted the spot near her for me to join her. "What?"_

_"C'mon. I'm in a good mood and you are the father of my baby. It's not like we haven't slept together before." She laughed at my hesitation, but I finally joined her, wrapping my arms around her belly as we fell asleep._

"Dude, just go see her." Chad interrupted the tiny flashback that served as my math class dream. I had forgiven him for not telling me about Adriana, I had forgiven everyone eventually, except myself.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

No POV: 4:00 PM…

Everything was quiet, well as quiet as it would get for a hospital. Troy and Gabriella were standing in front of the window, still staring at the beige blinds that covered it.

"There's gotta be something they can tell them…" Sharpay whispered to Zeke while on his lap as the gang watched their two friends in front of them. "They know something, I can sense it."

"So you're physic now?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"No, I just know things." she answered just as the door to Adriana's room opened. She leaped off of Zeke's lap, everyone jumped up after her and followed her over to Troy and Gabi.

"So, what's wrong with her?" Troy questioned before the doctor had even the chance to turn around so that he was facing him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Gabi whispered from right beside Troy. He didn't answer. A terrible silence hung in the air, it was the kind of silence that was present when someone died. "Please tell me my baby is going to be okay…" Nothing. It was like the doctor had tape over his mouth and he was showing no emotion to give clues about the answer. "Oh my gosh…" She crashed back into Troy's arms and sobbed.

"I'm sorry…"


	10. Keep Holding On

Chapter 10 - Keep Holding On

_Keep holding on_

_Cause you know we'll make it through_

_We'll make it through_

_Just stay strong_

_Cause you know I'm here for you_

_I'm here for you_

Gabriella's POV: 4:30 PM…

She looked so lifeless and helpless…my baby looked so different. There were so many cords and tubes running into her pale skin just to help her survive, I could hardly look at her. And for that, I felt like a terrible mother.

"Hey." The soft whisper made me jump as hands traveled up along my arms, finally resting on my shoulders. I didn't say anything and continued to stare at my little girl.

_4:15 PM…_

_"I'm sorry…" The doctor, who was about 40-ish, stood before everyone with his clipboard resting in his hands. I couldn't help but wonder that his outfit probably didn't match, but it was covered by the plain white lab coat that he had on._

_"What do you mean by 'I'm sorry'?" Troy asked, tightening his grip on my shoulders. The doctor looked at us wretchedly, smiling only a half grin._

_"I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but…"_

_"But what?" I interrupted, tensing up with every second that went by._

_"Gosh! Would you let him finish his sentences?!" Sharpay scolded, somewhat in a nice way, at her friends. "You won't know anything unless he actually gets through what he wants to tell you…gees!"_

_"Relax…" Zeke pulled her closer to him, kissing her blonde hair softly._

_"I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but your daughter has to have surgery. We found that a piece of her rib has started to puncture her lung, explaining the sudden loss of air." I gasped while Troy kind of laughed it off._

_"That's it? Surgery? That's all?" The doctor nodded, confused at Troy's reaction while Troy let out a major sigh._

_"'That's it?'" I mocked, smacking him as well. "Troy, our daughter is only four weeks old and she's having surgery! I don't think that's just an 'that's it?' type of thing to comment on!"_

"Hey, look at me." Troy turned me around, lifting my chin up with his hand. "She'll be okay. I promise." I nodded, knowing that it wasn't enough to satisfy him. "C'mon, talk to me."

"Right, like you would actually care." I snapped back. See, that's what I did whenever my life was spinning out of control…I blamed other people for something that didn't even matter at the time.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know," I glared at him coldly, his face turning red. "you all of a sudden care about her. Obviously when it's convenient for you, you come running to her side." His eyes dropped from mine and stared either at my toes visible from my flip-flops or the plain floor. "What about the four weeks that just passed? Did it ever occur to you that I needed you?"

"Gabriella, I'm sorry…"

"See someone once told me that sorry wasn't going to cut it for me, so it's not going to cut it for you." I turned back around, closing my eyes as a wish for him to magically disappear, and stared at my little girl again.

"Gabi, I know you're mad at me and you have every reason to be, but I'm here now. Shouldn't that count for something somewhere?" Well that wish didn't come true…he had somehow managed to pull me into a hug at the end of his statement.

"Excuse me," Those two words were the words I had dreaded hearing ever since I stepped into the room after the doctor had told us what was going on. A short, blonde woman creaked open the door, dressed in green scrubs as Troy and I jumped apart. "We need to get Adriana ready." I nodded, I could feel Troy nod behind me as well.

"Right." he whispered. "Hey, princess…" He bent down over the railing of Adriana's crib, taking his hand to run his finger across her cheek. "…you'll be okay, I promise." He sweetly pressed his lips gently on her cheek as small tears graced my eyelids. "Daddy loves you." Another soft kiss on her forehead and then he left the room, not even bothering to look at me. He was so good with her, why wasn't I letting him near her?

"Oh, Adriana…my baby girl." I forced my finger into her tiny right hand. "Your daddy's right, you'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you." I wanted to hold her, rock her in my arms, but a sweet little peck on the cheek would have to suffice. "I love you precious…I love you so much." Another nurse had entered, checking Adriana's monitors as I had finished my temporary goodbye to my daughter with tears stinging my cheeks. "Please take care of my baby." The blonde nurse smiled at me, nodding and then wheeled my baby's crib, with her in it, out of the room. _Please don't let anything happen to her…_

"Gabriella…" Taylor rushed into the room, pushing me into her arms. "She'll be okay, you have to believe that." I nodded into her chest, I seemed to be nodding a lot that day, sobbing.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV: 4:30 PM…

The cafeteria was where everyone who had been waiting had gotten tired of waiting and looking at the same expressions on everybody waiting with them. It was busy, let's just say that.

"You're awfully quiet today." Chad and Jason had accompanied me on my journey to the cafeteria after Taylor had made sure I had someone with me.

"Chad, shut up." Jason told him while I just stayed quiet, taking a sip of my disgusting coffee. All I could think about was how I hadn't spent one minute with my daughter. And the minute I had spent with her in that room just before she got wheeled off didn't count…not in my book.

"I haven't even seen her awake, guys." Chad and Jason both looked at me, neither one had any clue of what to tell me. "She was sleeping in the nursery, I didn't really pay attention to her when Gabi and I were resolving the whole 'she's you daughter' issue, and she was just sleeping, barely breathing on her own." I sighed. "I haven't seen her awake."

"But you will. She's going to come out of this, Troy. Believe in that." Chad advised, plopping a grape into his mouth while Jason just nodded his head.

"So, you and Gabi…are you two okay?" Jason finally asked after what seemed like an hour of silence passed.

"No." I huffed. "We're not even close to being okay. We fought in Adriana's room about how I didn't do anything with the baby for the past four weeks. I can't blame her, though…I deserve it and that little girl deserves better than me for a father."

"No she doesn't." A soft, weak, shaky voice jumped in behind me. I knew it was Gabriella, for some reason she was right there beside me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "Guys, could you um…"

"Sure." The noises of chairs sliding across tiled floor rang through the already noisy mess hall thing and Gabriella took her seat across from me.

"What are you doing here?"

"I felt bad for what I said up in Adriana's room…"

"No, I mean why aren't you up there waiting just in case someone comes out?" I interrupted, again taking a sip from my coffee cup.

"Well why aren't you?" she snapped unwillingly…I could tell because she drew back immediately. "I'm sorry. I don't want to argue again."

"Well, neither do I." She smiled that same smile that weakened me in the knees. "But, Gabs, we can't ignore all the problems that we have right now. They're not just going to go away."

"I know that." She pried my hand off of the coffee cup and laced in in with hers. They were cold, her hands, ice cold and they shook every second. "But, for right now, I think we can let it go."

"Yeah." I wanted to kiss her right there, but the fact that we weren't together kind of stood in the way of that wish. "That would be nice."

"I mean, we can't let it go forever. There's a lot we need to talk about and sort out, but our daughter's in surgery, fighting for her life. I think we can make an exception for right now." She was right…she was always right, that was something I loved about her.

"Guys!!" Ryan came running into the cafeteria and almost ran into the table in which Gabi and I were sitting at.

"What?" I had jumped up at the sight of him running in, which was a funny one by the way.

"The doctor came out…he wants to talk to you." I looked at Gabriella, who already had her eyes on me, both of us wondering what he was going to say and worried that something had gone wrong. I held out my hand for her to take and she did, her fingers weaving in between mine as we rushed out of that place and into an elevator.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV: 5:30 PM…

An hour had passed and already the doctor had wanted to talk to Troy and I. I had thought that the surgery would've at least lasted an hour and a half. Troy and I were still holding hands, tighter now, and were out of breath from running everywhere.

"Good, you're here." The doctor looked happy, that had to have been a good thing. "Everything went great."

"Oh my gosh. Did you hear that?" I turned behind me to face Troy, who was smiling the biggest smile ever, and he nodded. "She's going to be okay." I jumped into his arms and he swung me around. We were acting as though we had went back two years.

"That's great. So when will we be able to take her home?" my mom jumped in before I or Troy could say the exact same thing.

"Well, just hold on just a minute. We were able to fix the hole in her lung, the rib was puncturing it." he explained rather quickly. "As to taking her home…" He stuttered for a minute and then completely went silent. "Who's her father?"

"I am." Troy piped up, looking down at me for some reason. "Why?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked again. Something about the look on the doctor's face said that some bad news was about to surface.

"Could I, if you wouldn't mind, get a DNA sample from you?" He pointed to Troy, directly looking him in the eyes, as Troy nodded with no hesitation.

"Wait, why do you want his DNA?" Zeke asked for a third time, but the doctor didn't say anything and he led Troy down some hallway.

"What's going on?" I shouted after them, but again, there was no response.


	11. Perfect World

Chapter 11 - Perfect World

_I never could've seen this far_

_I never could've seen this coming_

_Seems like my world's falling apart_

_Why is everything so hard?_

_I don't think that I can deal_

Gabriella's POV:

Why would they need Troy's DNA? That was the one and only question that anyone standing near me or next to me had in their heads. For right now, the fact that Adriana was okay had been pushed aside.

"Why do they need his DNA?" Sharpay echoed my thoughts out loud to her boyfriend, who just shrugged as he listened in on Chad's conversation about something that had to do with Troy being an alien.

"He's not an alien." Taylor kept repeating to Chad, but I could tell he didn't really care…he was just saying that to fun.

"You never know. I was watching this show once and the guy that turned out to be an alien was the captain of the high school's football team. Now, what does that say?"

"That you're an idiot." Jason and Zeke said in unison. Chad mimicked a laugh.

"What show were you watching?" Sharpay questioned with the funniest face.

"Smallville, I think." Chad answered as I walked over to the end of the hallway in which that doctor had taken Troy down, waiting for Troy to come back out.

"You okay?" Kelsi and Taylor came up behind me. Kelsi was trying to figure out what exactly I was looking, or staring for that matter, at.

"I just don't know why they would need his DNA. It doesn't make any sense." I turned my head in the direction of my mom, who was sitting on a chair fiddling with her hair, probably anxious to see Adriana…something I should've been doing. "It's not like I would've--" And then I remembered. That night when, _oh my gosh_.

"Gabi," Ryan walked up to me, nervously smiling. I could tell he knew exactly what I was thinking about. "Can I maybe talk to you?" I nodded. "Over here…in private?" he pulled on my arms, whisking me over to the farthest corner in the hall.

"Fine, leave us out of the loop." Kelsi muttered. Ryan smiled as I just concentrated on the thought in my mind, worrying that everyone would soon find out from me or him, or even the doctor.

"You don't think…?" he asked, looking deeply into my eyes with fear. This couldn't be happening to me, not when everything with Troy and I were just about to get settled. "Are you sure that-"

"It has to be Troy. I mean, you and I happened before Troy and I ever did anything like that." I interrupted, trying to make sense of it in my head before it was really true. Ryan started pacing in front of me, running his fingers though his short blonde hair.

"But how long before you and Troy…" He paused, looking around for people before he whispered. "…you know."

"Ryan, they know that Troy and I had sex. I mean, it's pretty obvious since we have a daughter together…" I joked, relieving some of the tension.

"You might. You guys _might_ have a daughter together." And then the idea was back, just like that.

"We don't know that, though…"

"Are you positive that Troy's the father?" he asked again, still pacing back and forth.

"I was. I was dead sure that it was him, but now that the doctor wants his DNA, well now I'm not so sure." Ryan's face fell, I could tell that this was just so much for him to think about in the span of like 10 seconds.

"I'm not ready, Gabriella. I can't possibly be a father, she can't be mine. I don't know anything about being a dad, my dad just handed me and my sister over to my mom…how would I be a good father?" he panicked.

"Well, now I know where you stand." He stopped talking to himself and faced me, his eyes looked as though tears were about stream down his face.

"I'm sorry." He took my hands in with his. "I just…I don't know what to do right now."

"Well, don't say anything. We agreed on that the day after it happened…no one needs to know right now, especially Troy." Ryan seemed calmed down, but I knew that inside we was going crazy…because I was too.

"Okay." He pulled me into a quick hug, whispering to himself to calm down. "Okay."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I was in this room that held really expensive equipment. Well, that was after I had walked with the doctor down a long, plain and boring hallway, thinking why they needed my DNA. It wasn't like Gabriella had ever slept with anyone else. I was her first, she told me that. Or at least I hope I was her first.

"Okay, thank you. We have to take it to the lab for the results, so it'll be a little while before we can actually see anything." the doctor said, whom I had failed to even ask for his name. He looked like a Dr. Joe to me, but whatever.

"Can I ask why?" He shot his head up and shook it. "Why not?"

"Because we don't want to worry anyone just yet." he answered quickly. He had already managed to worry everyone, that was no problem anymore. "You may go. Your daughter should be up in the ICU as of now."

"Thanks." I left as quickly as I had entered the room. My throat had that taste of wood in it, well, because they had put that wooden stick with the cotton ball thing on the end of it down my throat. I had rounded the last corner before I saw Gabriella standing at the end of the hallway, nervously playing with her fingers.

"Hey." She ran down to meet me and we walked the rest of the hallway together.

"Hey. Have you seen Adriana yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you." she answered. I smiled…she hadn't waited for me since we had broken up. "Did they by any chance tell you why they needed your DNA?" I shook my head. "What do you mean no?"

"They didn't tell me anything." By then we were in the waiting room once again, the gang and Ms. Montez crowded around us. "Believe me, if I knew why then I would tell you…but I don't."

"Okay." She forced her eyes away from mine and they lowered down to the floor.

"Can we just please go see our daughter?" She nodded and then took my hand as I led her into the elevator to go upstairs to the ICU. Ms. Montez returned to her chair and the gang just watched the elevator doors close.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

No POV:

"What was that little 'moment' you and Gabi had?" Sharpay walked up to Ryan, who was still standing in the far corner away from everyone. "What was it about?"

"Nothing." he answered, failing to meet her questioning gaze.

"Ryan…"

"She was just freaking out about everything, okay. That's it." he snapped. Sharpay took a small step back and gasped. Ryan hadn't snapped at her for a long time, the last time he did, Sharpay got him back…they were like five.

"Ryan, I don't believe you. And being your twin, I sense things that other people don't…" She pulled on his shirt, begging him to tell her. "C'mon, I won't say anything."

"Yeah right." he muttered, ripping her hand off of him. "I'm going to the cafeteria, do you want anything?" She shook her head and then he left as she watched him.

"Okay, something's going on." Chad reiterated.

"No duh, doofus. I think we all know that by now." Jason said sarcastically, but not (If you know what I mean). They had all circled up in an almost huddle and started thinking about what everything could've possibly meant.

"Ryan and Gabi seemed almost scared that something was going to be revealed from the DNA tests. It's like…" Zeke gasped. "You don't think-"

"Oh my gosh." Chad followed, pointing at Zeke.

"Please tell me you're not thinking what I'm thinking." Zeke pleaded.

"I don't know." Chad answered.

"Well it would help if you told us what you were thinking!" Sharpay yelled as Zeke and Chad still looked at each other, flabbergasted.

"Ryan and Gabi, you don't think that maybe…" Chad nodded to Zeke as he tried to explain it. "And maybe she's not…"

"Oh my gosh!" Taylor had the realization, waving her hands in front of her mouth. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"

"What?!" Sharpay yelled again.

"We need to go somewhere where there is no Troy, no Gabi, no Ryan and no Ms. Montez." Kelsi whispered, making sure that Ms. Montez wasn't looking at them suspiciously.

"Oh, and where would that be? They're all here." Chad asked stupidly.

"How about a restaurant? There's no one there…." The gang nodded and then all left in one swift blink.


	12. Far Away

Chapter 12 - Far Away

_I love you_

_I've loved you all along_

_I miss you_

_For far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming_

_You'll be with me_

_And you'll never go_

Troy's POV:

Gabriella and I walked into the NICU, rather than the ICU, hand in hand still. The nurse had directed us to Adriana's "place" and told us that we had to put on certain, almost like yellowish robes. Adriana was enclosed in a glass, or what looked like glass, box with needles poked all over her precious, baby soft skin. There were little holes, 2 of them on each side, where Gabi and I could stick our hands through to touch her.

"Look at her." Gabi whispered, placing her hand on top of the box. "She looks so…"

"But she's okay." I interrupted and she smiled briefly before her smiled faded away into nothing.

"We don't know that for sure."

"What is with you thinking of the worst possible things?" I had realized I had kind of yelled at her as she cringed at my words. "She's okay. Be positive." She nodded. We stared at Adriana forever, neither one of us dared to touch her. I was afraid if I did, then I would pull some cord out and then, well that would be it.

"Troy…" She tore her eyes away from our daughter to just brush me with a stare.

"Gabs, can I ask you something?" She nodded.

"Yeah, sure." To delicately put what I was thinking was hard and it took me forever to actually say it.

"Was I your first?" I felt embarrassed and actually a little ashamed for asking it, but the answer was something that would've either calmed my thoughts or made me mad, or more mad than I already was. She looked for an answer, even though she tried to make it look like she was just disgusted.

"My first what?" I looked at her, I knew my eyes were talking for me. "The first guy I ever slept with?" My head shook 'yes' and she made a snorting sound almost sounding like Miss Piggy. "Of course. Why?" I shrugged unconvincingly for both me and her. "Troy, why?"

"I was just wondering. That's it." I turned my attention back to Adriana and finally got the courage to swipe my finger up against her cheek. "Hey princess. It's daddy. Look, I need you to do me a favor…you need to get better, you need to make a full recovery because, well you just need to. And I'm kind of freaked out by hospitals…" I heard Gabi chuckle. "Your mommy's here and she's so scared for you, as am I, but I hate seeing mommy scared."

"Troy…" Gabriella tried to say something, but the nurse interrupted her.

"Excuse me…we have to run just a couple tests on Adriana, so if you don't mind…" The nurse's hand made a shooing motion and Gabi and I both nodded.

"Hey precious. Daddy and I will be back, okay. I love you." Gabriella whispered through the glass, pressing her hand against her lips and then glass, still not strong enough to touch her.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

No POV:

"Why wouldn't they tell us?" Taylor asked as she and Chad say down in one side of a booth at some restaurant down the street from the hospital. Sharpay and Kelsi sat on the other side while Jason and Zeke pulled up chairs to the end of the table.

"Why _would_ they tell us?" Zeke said, laughing a little. "Troy and Gabriella were obviously still together when her and Ryan…you know." His hands made the gesture that explained more clearly than his words would've. "They wouldn't say anything because then Troy would've found out."

"She could've told me." Taylor whined sarcastically (kind of) as Chad laughed at her cuteness.

"Baby, would you've kept that secret? Especially from me?" Chad asked and then Taylor seemed to understand.

"True. If he would've found out, well then it would've been everywhere." She pointed to her boyfriend beside her and the group laughed. "And if Ryan had told Sharpay, it probably would've been all over the world."

"Hey!" Sharpay snapped out of her little daydream so to speak and gasped. But then she got all serious. "So, what you guys are saying is that little, sweet Adriana might be Ryan's daughter?" Everyone nodded. "So, technically if Ryan's the father, then I'm an aunt?"

"Sharpay, you're already Adriana's aunt." Jason told her. "All of you girls are and us guys are her uncles."

"I know that, but I'm not technically her aunt. None of us are, but if Ryan's the father, then I really _am_ her aunt."

"Wow. I think Sharpay's freaking out over this. I've never seen her freak out before unless it was play or theater related." Chad was amazed, as was Sharpay's boyfriend. Zeke asked Kelsi if she would switch places with him, she didn't mind, and Zeke slid in next to Sharpay. She was almost in tears, just like Ryan had been when he was with Gabi earlier that day. Zeke's arm wrapped around Sharpay's shoulders and he pulled her in, lying her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay…it's going to be okay." he whispered. They all had that same wish…they all hoped everything was going to be okay.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabreilla's POV:

If Troy wasn't the father, then he would be crushed. Absolutely crushed. I would be crushed too, we were finally starting to get along after everything we had been through, and now this had to happen. Why did the world hate me?

"Oh, doctor." I had caught Adriana's doctor at the nurses station just as he had returned from a patients room.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you why you needed my daughter's father's DNA?" Something about that statement didn't sound right, I could tell because he looked at me funny.

"You're Adriana's mom?" I nodded. "Oh. I can't tell you just yet. The results need to be in my hand before I can tell anyone anything. I don't want to worry anyone."

"You don't want to worry anyone!?" I yelled. "Well, I think you've already managed to do that." He looked almost sorry as I lowered my voice. "Look, I need to know. Troy, well not so much immediately, but I need to know. It's so I can save him from…" I had gone way too far. The doctor didn't need to know, nor did he care about what happened almost a year ago.

"Miss Montez, I understand that you need to know, but I just can't." He tried to calm me down. "I'm sorry." He turned around to leave and go down another hall.

"No," I pulled him around by his arm as he looked at me astounded. "I'm sorry." I brushed his arm off, smiling nervously. "You don't understand. If you find out something from comparing the two DNA samples, then Troy could find out about something that he shouldn't know. I need to make sure he doesn't find out."

"I'm sorry." He repeated for the third time and this time I didn't stop him when he turned to leave, I think I had like traumatized him.

"Gabriella, Troy should know. Just in case the test results do, in fact, show something like that." I spun around and found the gang, minus Ryan who had disappeared after our little chat, all standing there staring at me.

"Tell him what?"

"We know." Sharpay told me. "We know about you and…well you-know-who."

"Me and who?" Everyone got frustrated because I was playing dumb. Everyone always hated it when I played dumb to avoid conversations I didn't want to get involved in.

"You and Ryan!" Taylor screamed. "We know!"

"Taylor, don't announce it to the world, okay. It's something I'm not proud of and who told you? If Ryan told you anything, then I'll-"

"Ryan didn't tell us anything. We figured it out on our own. Well some of us did, it wasn't that difficult." Zeke pointed out as I joined them in their little half circle. "Look, we won't say anything, we promise. Right Chad and Sharpay?" I gave them glances and they both nodded quickly.

"Well if Chad and Sharpay figured it out, then Troy has to suspect something."

"Sharpay didn't figure it out, but Chad did." Zeke answered as though it would help my nerves, but no…that didn't happen.

"Well, that's even worse. You know, you could've left that little detail out." Zeke mouthed an 'I'm sorry' and sighed.

"Why didn't you tell me? You told me about Adriana and I kept that didn't I?" Taylor whined again.

"Right, you would've told Chad in an instant after you would've lectured me about how important it would've been to tell Troy." I argued, leaving the group again. "Guys, he can't find out. If he finds out, then everything that we've worked on since the baby was born will be ruined. And I can't have that happen." I felt as though my throat was closing on me, freaking out was not my thing.

"Well, that's what you get for even _sleeping_ with Ryan." Sharpay retaliated. "Where is he, by the way? I need to go see if he's okay." I shrugged and she looked around at the gang for answers, but they shrugged as well.

"You need to tell him…" Chad whispered loud enough for me to hear it. "…'cause if not, then…"

"Then what?" I knew what he was going to say, but I needed to hear him say just so that it would become real.

"You know what I'm going to say." he answered angrily. "Then I'll tell him."

"Chad you can't. Please." I begged, grabbing onto his arm with a tight grasp.

"It doesn't hurt, Gabi. But if you don't tell him and he finds out from the DNA results, it'll hurt him. He's been through enough hurt from you and your threats, even from me…I can't have him hurt again. And plus, he's my best friend. I have an obligation to tell him." he explained.

"Tell me what?" There was his voice, he was standing behind me now fully aware that something was going on. It wasn't just a speculation for him now, it was definite.

"Uh oh." Jason muttered. Yeah, definitely uh oh now…big uh oh…huge uh oh. What was I going to do?

_This time, this place_

_Misused, mistakes_

_Too long, too late_

_Who was I to make you wait_


	13. Fall Away

Chapter 13 - Fall Away

_You fall away from your past_

_That's following you now_

_You fall away from you past_

_That's following you_

_You fall away_

_You fall away_

No POV: (flashback)

_"Tell me what?" Troy asked again, but no one answered him for the second time. "What's going on?" Gabriella tried to run, or she wanted to, but her legs wouldn't budge._

_"Oh no." Chad whispered again as he and the gang started to back away from Gabi and Troy._

_"Oh no what?" Troy was getting annoyed, everyone could tell. "Don't you guys go anywhere. No one's leaving until you tell me what Gabi has to tell me. Obviously she won't tell me, so you guys have to spill."_

_"No they don't." Gabriella blurted nervously. "They don't have to tell you anything because there's nothing to say. Right guys?" She looked behind her at her friends and they nodded._

_"Yeah right. Guys, I know something's going on because I heard you say it." he answered. "C'mon. Tell me…" Everyone looked from Gabi to one another standing behind her, trying to find an excuse to tell him._

_"Gabriella," Ryan and Sharpay rushed in, neither one of them noticing Troy. "we can't tell Troy anything, he can't know."_

_"Well, he knows for sure now." Gabriella answered, pointing to Troy in front of her. Ryan turned around._

_"Hi Troy." And then he turned right back around, not fully comprehending that it was really him standing there. "Oh, hi Troy." Sharpay had her hand covering her mouth._

_"So, Ryan, what can't I find out?" Ryan started making his way over to Troy, Gabi slowly following him just as the doctor interrupted their little 'chat'._

_"Who are Adriana's parents?" he asked as the group circled around him, Troy and Gabriella raising their hands. "Okay, the test results are nothing important. We thought there was something that was genetic, but it was a mark made on the paper, just a mistake."_

_"So, she's okay? We can take her home?" Gabriella smiled and the doctor nodded. "When?"_

_"Um, later tonight. She looks great, there's really no point in staying here for another day." Troy and Gabriella hugged while the doctor left to go somewhere else and the group smiled._

_"C'mon Troy. Lets go get Adriana so we can get her out of here."_

Troy's POV:

I should've followed Gabriella to Adriana's room so I could help her get Adriana ready to leave, but instead my butt was glued to some chair in the cafeteria once again, the third time that day let alone the past couple of days Adriana had been in the hospital. I fiddled with the coffee straw that was in my hand rather than in my cup.

_"No." I forced Gabriella's hand off of my arm, throwing it back at her side. "What is the secret, what don't people want me to know?" _

_"It's not a secret anymore, Troy." Ryan continued to walk forward, lessening the gap in between us. "And before I say anything else, none of it was Gabriella's fault."_

_"_Gabriella's fault_? Oh that's just great."_

_"No, Troy…he didn't mean it like that." Gabriella looked as though she was about to cry as she tried to calm me down, but I was way long gone._

_"You remember the party right before you guys broke up? I think it was at some cheerleaders house." Ryan started to explain as I watched Gabriella shake as he went on. I nodded. "Yeah. You and Gabi had a pretty bad fight that night, remember?" Again, I nodded. "Well, after you stormed out of the house, she kind of had a drink…and then another…" By then, I knew what was going to be the next couple words out of his mouth. "…and another. I had found her just as she had ordered the fourth one, not getting there in time to stop her from having it."_

_"You were drunk?" I eyed her and she forced herself to answer, nodding with her eyes closed. "You've never gotten drunk in all the time I've known you."_

_"Well, that's what you get for just storming away." Sharpay decided to throw her two cents in and Ryan gave her a 'get out of the discussion' kind of look and she backed down, stepping into the gang's cluster again._

_"Anyway, she was drunk, she needed a ride home and then I went inside to see if she was okay and then…"_

_"We slept together, okay! We did it and that is why I was freaking out over the DNA results." Gabriella blurted, tears rolling down her cheeks._

"Troy. Someone wants to see you." The voice crept up on me, but it didn't scare me. I knew it was Gabi and I knew she was referring to our daughter, but I didn't want to see neither one of them at the time. I ignored her plea. "Troy…Adriana wants to see her daddy."

"Well I don't know why you're telling me that. Go to Ryan, I'm sure he'd be happy to see her." Inside I knew that what had come out of my mouth was totally wrong and not fair to Adriana, but I…well, I don't know.

"Troy, Adriana's yours."

"Are you sure?" I swung around to face her and instead of her face, I saw Adriana's deep blue eyes gazing at me, her smile not even fitting on her face.

"Look, you can have your doubts and you can be mad at me for as long as you want. But, this is not fair to Adriana…she shouldn't have to deal with my mistake." Adriana made a gurgling sound, which made me smile. "Now will you please at least hold her while I go sign her out?"

"Fine." Gabriella carefully handed the little girl over to me and briskly walked away.

_"I'm sorry. I don't want to argue again."_

_"Well, neither do I." She smiled that same smile that weakened me in the knees. "But, Gabs, we can't ignore all the problems that we have right now. They're not just going to go away."_

_"I know that." She pried my hand off of the coffee cup and laced in in with hers. They were cold, her hands, ice cold and they shook every second. "But, for right now, I think we can let it go."_

_"Yeah." I wanted to kiss her right there, but the fact that we weren't together kind of stood in the way of that wish. "That would be nice."_

_"I mean, we can't let it go forever. There's a lot we need to talk about and sort out, but our daughter's in surgery, fighting for her life. I think we can make an exception for right now." She was right…she was always right, that was something I loved about her._

"You know, you're mommy and I agreed that we would put everything behind us and start acting like a family, baby girl. But, look how that turned out." I talked to Adriana like I had talked to no one else, including Gabriella. It also helped that Adriana couldn't talk and say anything to anyone else.

"Okay, she's all checked out." Gabriella came back. _Well, that didn't take long_… "Troy…" Her arms were outstretched, in the motion for taking the baby from me.

"No."

"What?"

"I want to hold her, she's my daughter too you know." I snapped slightly and looked back at the beautiful blue eyes that I had given her.

"Oh, so now she's your daughter? What happened to 'give her to Ryan'?"

"It was crap and I know that. Look, can I at least drive you guys home?" I asked, getting up, shifting Adriana onto my hip. "I know that won't make up for anything that I did, or didn't do. But, I want to help Gabs."

"Fine." she nodded. "Let's go."


	14. Can't Let You Go

Chapter 14 – Can't Let You Go

_So many times I've tried  
To get her out of my life  
But she knows I'm addicted  
To the taste of her lips  
My strength is drifting away  
My body's aching with pain  
I can't hold on  
I can't hold on any longer_

Troy's POV: 1 month later…

I don't think the right words to describe what I was feeling those days were in existence. One, I was exhausted from taking care of Adriana and two, all the feelings for Gabriella had started to bubble up again. The only difference this time was that I had no clue what my first move was or what it would've been. Today was the end of her first week back at school and lately she had been hanging out with this guy named Scott, who happened to be conveniently in almost all of her classes.

"Maybe it's a good thing…Gabriella hanging out with this _Scott_ guy. Maybe it's for the best." I whispered under my breath as I watched her at her locker from mine again. Her brown hair had been cut to right above her shoulders and was straight as compared to her normal curly locks. The dark denim skirt she wore went to the middle of her thighs and the red top, which looked scrunched around her shoulders where the sleeves ended, showed off her beautiful curves that she had worked really hard for after having Adriana.

"Here we go again." Chad rolled his eyes. "Dude, we all know that you're lying through you teeth. Just go tell her how you feel." Zeke, Ryan and Jason all nodded.

"It's not that simple." I answered, finally ripping my eyes away from her to open the metal locker to retrieve my books and put the ones in my hands away. "I can't do that."

"And why not? It's not like-" Jason started.

"Just drop it." I interrupted as angry emotions started to surface. The door slammed shut just as the group of girls caught up with us, excluding Gabi. "Hey girls."

"Hey yourself. You've been awfully quiet lately." Sharpay greeted me as my eyes ventured off again to Scott and Gabriella, Sharpay's eyes following. "You know she's probably just trying to make you jealous so you make a move."

"Why do ya'll automatically think that I want to make a move on Gabi?" Everyone huffed sarcastically, surprisingly all at the same time, some even rolled their eyes.

"Because you guys are destined to be together." Kelsi answered, smiling. "I think your daughter proves that."

"Adriana doesn't prove anything. I know a lot of people who's parents were never together."

"Yeah, but that's because their parents were drunk when they had sex. I know for a fact that you and Gabi weren't." Taylor told me, holding onto Chad's hand that was draped over her shoulder.

"And how do you know?" Even though I knew the answer, I looked at her suspiciously as she smirked.

"Oh, you know…Gabi told me everything after it happened." The girls laughed while the guys ignored it. "I'm betting you that you went right to Chad and the guys with details as well. So don't get the 'I-can't-believe-she-told-you' attitude and look."

"I think she just told you." Chad commented as we started to walk towards our classes, which for most of us consisted of Chemistry, one of our favorite all time classes. I glanced back at him in our 'blob' that crowded the hallways, giving him a look as he just shrugged it off.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

I thought Troy and I would eventually become normal friends again rather than friends because we had a daughter together…that didn't happen. And I think with me hanging out with this guy named Scott, our so called 'relationship', if you could even call it that, got even more complicated. Scott was great, charming, funny…everything I could want in a guy. Not to mention he was good looking, but with everything that had happened with Troy, I felt myself feeling the feelings again…the same feelings that I had before I had found out about Adriana.

_"You ready?" A hand pressed against the small of my back as I finished putting my books in my locker the first day back after having Adriana. I didn't know, to be honest, if I could ever fit in again._

_"Troy, I don't know." I answered, slamming my locker shut and facing his smile. Why he was smiling, I didn't know. "I just don't feel like I belong anymore."_

_"Who cares what other people think. Screw them…"_

_"I can't believe you, of all people, just said that." I laughed lightly as the rest of the group approached us. "Just don't say that around our daughter."_

_"Well, she's laughing. That's a good sign." Sharpay commented to Zeke and Ryan beside her as they nodded. "We kind of expected you to be already running out the door, on your way back to Adriana."_

_"Don't-" Troy tried to stop her before she got to Adriana's name so that I wouldn't think about her, but it was too late. "Sharpay…" he groaned._

_"Sorry."_

_"That's okay. You can say her name, I'm fine." I could tell nobody believed me._

_"Are you sure?" Chad asked gently. I nodded._

_"Of course. This is just the first time I've been away from my baby…" Small tears started to run down my cheeks as I choked on them. "I'm fine."_

_"Gabi…" Troy pulled me into his chest, his arms comfortably around my waist._

"Hey Gabi." Scott cut around the corner of the science table to stand next to me, leaning up against the side of the table just as Troy and the gang entered the classroom. I could immediately feel Troy look over at me and I stole a glimpse of his gaze, in which I kind of detected jealousy. Jealousy…something very prone to guys when their girlfriends were talking to other guys…problem was, I wasn't his girlfriend. Why would he have been jealous? "Gabi?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." I shook my attention back to Scott and then smiled. "What were you saying?"

"I was just wondering if maybe you would like to go to a movie tonight or something. I mean, it doesn't have to be a movie, but I would like to go out with you." I started to panic just a bit, for no reason. "What do you say?" Just for fun, I looked over at Troy, who was sitting at his desk trying not to involve himself in my conversation with Scott by pretending to look at his homework assignment that he probably didn't even do. I caught his stare and he narrowed his eyes to look as though he was disgusted.

"Um, I don't know Scott…"

"C'mon. I bet you could use the time away from home." He smiled a big and wide smile and then I felt tiny butterflies in my stomach. Oh no, I wasn't…I was falling for someone who wasn't Troy. Could that even be possible? "C'mon…"

"Okay. Tonight then." He nodded and then kissed me on the cheek gently while I continued to look at Troy, who was wide eyed at the touch made by Scott and I started laughing on the inside.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Ehm, ehm…" Taylor bumped me once our teacher had directed us to our lab stations to begin the lab on heat combustion or something like that. She had that sort of smile that said to spill every detail. "What was that?"

"What was what?" She looked at me as I felt two more eyes prying at me for the details. Sharpay was looking through the shelf divider in front of me and Kelsi had joined us, standing by Taylor.

"We saw it…you can't deny it." Sharpay smiled.

"You're crushing on Scott." Kelsi finished as I hushed her. "You totally are!"

"Shut up. And no I'm not. I can't possibly be, right? Not when I have a daughter with Troy, I mean that can't be right…" I started panicking again and while I was in the process of that, Taylor started laughing. "What?"

"Oh, you are so funny." she answered while the teacher looked at us not satisfied with our lack of progress. So, we started to head to the supply table and gathered all the beakers and cans that we needed. "You can go out with other people, Gabi. Just because you have a baby with Troy doesn't tie you to him. I mean, if you were married to him, then that would be a different story…but you're not. You're free to go out with anyone you want and I'm thinking Scott is a pretty good guy. He's not Troy, but he's appropriate."

"Well, I'm glad I have your approval." I said sarcastically, walking back to our table.

"Gabriella," Troy pulled my arm, swinging me over to his table with Chad and the guys. "what's up with you and that Scott guy? Why did he kiss you and even though it was on the cheek, it was still a kiss."

"Last time I checked, Troy, I was a big girl and I didn't have to get your approval on anything." I chuckled while the guys did their "ooo" thing.

"Yeah, but that was before we had a baby together." His eyes were starting to get softer on me, trying to do his famous 'pulling-girls-in-with-his-eyes' trick to hook them. I could tell he was looking back and forth from me and Scott. "You can't go out with him. I know that's what your whole conversation was about earlier in the class and I'm telling you, you can't go."

"You are so stupid, Troy." The "ooo's" had started back up again and I whipped my head around to the boys to shut them up. "You see, once you tell a girl that she can't do something, especially when it involves a guy…she's just going to do it. Therefore, I'm going out with him, even if you don't like it." And with that, I strutted back to my table.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

"She can't do that." I was confused beyond belief. "Right? She can't go out with him." Chem had just ended and the guys and I were headed towards the cafeteria.

"Can we not talk about you and Gabi or your problems for one lunch period?" Jason rolled his eyes, something that Chad was normally known for. We walked towards the back of the cafeteria and sat down at the middle table, right in front of the big East High basketball design thing on the wall.

"Hey," Taylor leaned down to kiss Chad as Sharpay and Kelsi did the same with Zeke and Jason. It was awkward, that's all I'm saying.

"Where's Gabs?" I asked and the guys sighed again, all of them rolling their eyes this time.

"I thought we discussed that we weren't going to dwell on your problems with her…" I nodded to Chad just as I saw Gabriella walk in with Scott by her side. Scott was everywhere, I couldn't escape him and Gabriella together.

"She's right there." Sharpay and Ryan said simultaneously, Ryan shoving food into his already full mouth.

"Where were you?" I asked and I knew I sounded a little…curious, especially since Adriana's birth, but…oh well.

"I was on the phone, checking in with my mom to see how Adriana was doing." Gabriella answered, waving back to Scott as she sat down next to Taylor and Kelsi.

"And?"

"She's fine. She's started to smile and everything…it's so cute." My baby was smiling already…awww. "Hey, Tay, I need you to come over tonight. I need help deciding what to wear for tonight."

"What's tonight?" Jason asked and I made a motion for him to shut up, but that never ever worked with anyone really.

"I have a date, not that it's any of your business…"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV: 7:30 PM…

"Okay, how do I look?" I emerged from my bathroom, twirling around in my outfit to my audience that consisted of Taylor and Adriana.

"Adri, clap for mommy…" Taylor put Adriana's hands together, clapping them for her as she smiled her toothless smile. "You look amazing…really. I think our work is done Adriana and I have to say, you have great taste."

"Funny." I laughed and then took my baby from my best friend. "If you helped Aunt Taylor pick this out, then you do have good taste, baby." I tickled her stomach with my free hand and she let out a shriek of laughter.

"Man, she's got lungs." Taylor said, smiling at us as she headed for my door. "Well, my work here is done. Have a great time tonight and call me afterwards. If you forget to call me, oh, you'll be dead."

"Aunt Taylor doesn't mean that precious." I told my daughter in my arms, who probably didn't even catch what Taylor said because she was still smiling that killer smile. I grabbed my purse with my phone and lip gloss in there, Adriana still in my arms, and headed down the stairs, my mother greeting me at the bottom of them. She decided that at that point, she would take my daughter in her grasp, bouncing her into the kitchen. "I would like to say goodbye to my daughter…"

"Okay, but I don't want you thinking about her all night. Now, I know that this is the very first time you've been out since Adriana was born and the fact that the guy's not Troy is a different story. Just have fun, niña…that's all I'm asking. But, not too much fun cause I don't want another baby around here, understand?" My mother advised while I sat down at one of the stools under the island, playing with Adriana's feet as she sat in her carrier on top of the counter, smiling. "And if I get any calls, _any_ calls from you…I'm disconnecting the phones. Just warning you."

"I'll keep that in mind." I answered just as the doorbell rang. "Okay," I huffed, "Bye, precious. Mommy loves you." I leaned down and kissed Adriana's forehead gently. "Bye mom." I hugged her and then ran out to the hallway, (well running in a skirt was something all together), sweater in my hand and slipped on a pair of nice flip-flops. "Scot-" I turned the brass handle, swinging the door open. There was no Scott.

"Gabriella," Troy stood there, right in front of me…only outside. He was dressed in a pair of light American Eagle jeans (not too dark, but at the same time, not too light), faded and all, with an American Eagle red polo and a denim jacket covering it, the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his arms. He could've easily passed for a model right then and there, especially for American Eagle…that was his whole outfit. His hair, the dark color that it had become, fell perfectly in his face. It covered his blue eyes only a little, but they still pierced into mine. He moved his eyes up and down my body and then took a step inside. That step must have been more like a leap because he was only centimeters from me. His head looked down at me, his eyes moving side to side as he softly stared into my eyes. I felt one of his hands gently place itself on my neck, right behind my head, his fingers playing with my hair in the back. His other hand was under my chin, almost as if he was going to pull it closer to him so that he could kiss me, but instead his hand just stayed there. My side bangs obstructed my vision, that was until he took his finger and pushed them back behind my ear. I looked at him curiously, my eyes darting from his eyes to his lips…


	15. Back At Your Door

Chapter 15 - Back At Your Door

_No Need to cry about it_

_I cannot live without it_

_Every time I wind up back at your door_

_Why do you do this to me_

_You penetrate right through me_

_Every time I wind up back at your door_

I looked at him curiously, my eyes darting from his eyes to his lips as he just seemed to move closer towards me. We looked at each other contently for what seemed like forever and then it happened. He just pushed his lips up against mine, hungrily kissing me as we both walked backwards towards the banister of the stairs, totally taking me by surprise. His lips were warm against mine and, after a moment, I could feel his tongue beckoning to come inside my mouth. To be honest, I felt a little weird, especially since my mother could probably hear everything that was going on.

"Troy," I whispered, catching my breath as I pushed him away. I looked at his face of disappointment and then smiled. "We can't do this down here. C'mon…" I quietly shut the front door, took his hand in mine and led him upstairs. Once we climbed the last step, fully upstairs in the hallway, he grabbed my waist, pulling me up against him and pressed his lips again on mine, continuing to walk towards my room. I'm actually surprised we didn't run into anything on our way there. "Wait," I pried his hands off of me for a minute just as we entered my room while he just looked at me confused and wanting more. "I have to call Scott." I could tell he understood.

"Hello?" Scott answered, cheerfully, as I suddenly felt bad for him.

"Hey, Scott. It's Gabriella." I replied, pressing the phone up to my ear. "Listen, I'm sorry that it's kind of last minute, but I can't go tonight." Troy moved over behind me, after he had shut my door, and started kissing my neck, making my back tense up and goose bumps were sent up and down my arms. "Something came up last minute. I'm so sorry."

"That's okay…if something came up that you need to take care of, then go. It's okay, I swear." He was so sweet…and then I hung up, quickly turning back to Troy. We waited this time before we went at it again. "Is this really happening? 'Cause if not, then this totally sucks."

He smiled. "This is really happening." The butterflies were back, this time big, huge butterflies that almost took over my whole body.

"Good, because I don't want to mess this up." He nodded and then our lips were touching again, mine finally parting to let his tongue in while his did the same for mine. His hands fiercely moved up and down my back, wanting to rip my shirt off…but, I wouldn't let him. My back had suddenly hit my mattress and I could finally see Troy standing in front of me. He had a big smile on his face as he threw his jacket on the ground, continuing to rip his red polo off as well, revealing a nice white beater shirt that totally showed off his toned muscles. He slowly placed his knees on either side of my hips and then his hands on either side of my head, looking down at me.

"I love you Gabs." he whispered just as he leaned down, his lips millimeters from mine.

"I love you too. I always have." He smiled again, that seemed to be the only thing any one of us could do at the time. "But no sex. Not yet, not when we have a month and a half old baby downstairs." He nodded, not seeming as though he was the least bit dissatisfied with that request.

"Ok."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV: morning…

Gabriella and I are finally, well I don't know if we are or not, but I hope we are finally back together. Last night, even though we didn't completely have sex, was amazing. By the end, my face was smeared with lip gloss that smelled like mangos and watermelons…it was actually quite good.

"Hey," I heard a whisper come from the door and I quickly turned my attention towards it. "I brought you someone." Gabriella smiled as she held our daughter in her arms. They both looked beautiful…Adriana was in a little pink outfit that had a little yellow duck on the front of it and Gabriella, even though she was in the same outfit she wore last night seeing as we basically slept in our clothes, had on a denim skirt with a white tunic shirt that was once again scrunched at the sleeves, her hair falling at her shoulders.

"Hi princess," I took Adriana from Gabriella's outstretched reach and held my little girl up in the air, finally getting to see her smile. "That's a beautiful smile, yes it is." Adriana giggled as I lowered her down, finally rocking her in my arms.

"My mom was downstairs." Gabi told me, looking kind of scared. I had totally forgotten about her mom, I was so swept up in what we were finally doing last night…_oh crap_.

"Did she say anything?" She shook her head. "Your mom didn't say _anything_?"

"No, 'cause I told her what happened."

"What?" It wasn't a mean what, just a surprised what. I glanced back at Adri squirming in my arms and then back at Gabi, who had gotten up and walked over to her closet.

"She wasn't mad, Troy. That's a good thing." Relief took over my emotions. Already my father didn't approve of Gabriella, though now he was getting used to the idea of her…but if her mother all of a sudden didn't like me, we (and the idea of even an us) would've been shot. "She actually was happy." She smiled at me, nervously though, as I looked at her confused. "When I told her, she softly screamed 'Finally!'."

"Really?" Gabriella nodded. "Wow."

"I know, right?" She walked back over to the bed, sitting down beside me and tickled Adriana's stomach. "Can you believe that?"

"Can you believe this?" I asked, smiling, referring to the three of us sitting there. "I mean, after everything that's happened, can you believe we're here right now?…after have an amazing night." She looked at me, her brown eyes twinkling.

"You thought it was amazing?" I nodded.

"Of course, didn't you?"

"Definitely." She was quick to answer, leaning in after her words to gently brush me with a kiss.

"Gabriella, every moment with you is amazing." This time I kissed her softly on the lips as she smiled happily.

"Okay, get dressed. Breakfast time." She ordered, taking Adriana from me as I just watched the both of them leave.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

"Well good morning sleepy head." My mother greeted Troy from the stove as he strolled over to her, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning." His voice was kind of raspy as he smelled the bacon she was cooking. "Good morning," He leaned down to kiss me, gently pressing his lips against mine. "again." I could feel my mother glancing over her shoulder to look at us, her smile bigger than ever.

"Now, I hope you two are done playing games." My mom questioned us indirectly and we both nodded, confused by her statement.

"Yeah, mom. I think we are." Troy had sat down on the stool next to me, Adriana in front of us in her carrier trying to get her feet in her mouth…as usual, his hand on my knee. "Good. Well, eat up." The plate of bacon, eggs, and ham was pushed in front of us, begging for us to eat.

"Does she," Troy started right before swallowing the eggs in his mouth, "always try to do that?" He pointed to Adriana with his fork. Our daughter, the crazy little thing she was, still fought with her feet, silently begging them to go into her mouth.

"Yeah, that's her new hobby." I smiled at her.

"Interesting hobby." he said, still watching her as he shoved more food into his mouth. "Has she ever gotten them in her mouth?" I shook my head as my fork entered my mouth, ham on it. "Interesting."

"Yes, very interesting." My mom sat down across from us, pushing food into her mouth. "So what are you two planning on doing today?" I looked at Troy and he smiled at me.

"I was actually thinking that we might just go to the park with Adriana in the stroller and walk around. What do you think?" He asked me, his and now rubbing my leg up and down. I nodded.

"That sounds perfect." I whispered, taking his hand in mine.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy had gone home to change out of his clothes, even though I told him he looked hot in them, before we went to the park. I was lying on my bed, my back against the mattress, looking up towards the ceiling. Today was going to be perfect, I could just tell. Adriana screamed suddenly and then I knew that we had to get ready. Walking into her room, rather fast I have to admit, I found her wiggling her arms and feet, letting me know that she wanted to get out of her crib.

"Okay precious. Mommy's here." I leaned down and pulled her up, setting her feet on the bar of the crib. "So, what do you want to wear for daddy today?" She seemed to want to answer me and her expression made me laugh. "I'm thinking this cute little outfit is pretty good, huh?"

"I'm thinking that's good too." Whipping my head around, I saw my mother standing in the doorway, her hands in her pockets.

"Mom…"

"Gabriella," she started, walking towards the changing table that I was standing at and where I had placed Adriana. "I'm really happy for you. You know that, right?"

"Mom, are you doing something illegal?" I started to get scared.

"No," she laughed. "I'm just telling you because it's the truth." She helped me sit Adriana up so I could put on her shirt. "You're finally starting to get your life together, especially after having Adriana, and I'm just proud of you." I could see small tears emerging in her eyes.

"Oh, mom…" I hugged her tightly, trying not to cry. "Thank you…for everything you've done."

"Whoa," I could see Troy standing in the doorway, still looking hotter than ever. He had on another pair of jeans, these ones from Hollister, and a white t-shirt, also from Hollister. He leaned up against the frame of the door, hands in his pockets. "I can come back in a minute, go get something to eat downstairs if I'm intruding on some crying moment or something." My mother and I pulled away, she wiped her tears away with her index finger.

"No, that's okay. Now, you two…go have some fun…" She turned to head back downstairs. "…as a _family_." Family…we, meaning Troy and I, had never referred to ourselves as a family…well, not yet.

"Family…" he pondered. "I like the sound of that."


	16. Easier To Be

Chapter 16 - Easier To Be

_Do do do do_

_You make it easier to be_

_Easier to be me_

_It's hard to believe_

_You make it easy…_

Troy's POV:

The air was exceptionally brisk for being June weather as we walked through the park. I was pushing Adriana in her stroller and Gabi's arms looped into mine, the warmth of her long sleeved sweatshirt transferring to my bare skin.

"Mmm," The wind was blowing, Gabriella's hair behind her as she closed her eyes. "That feels so good."

"We _are_ together, right?" I asked, blurting it a little bit as she stopped walking to face me.

"I think so…" she laughed. "I mean, what we did last night wasn't really what friends do, unless it's a friend with benefits kind of thing." She laughed again, she was probably thinking that line was funny for some reason. "That is unless you don't _want _to be together."

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?" Her gaze kind of, I'm not going to say frightened me, but it just wasn't normal for her happy self.

"I was just making sure because of everything with Scott and all…" Gabriella dropped her head at Scott's name.

"Scott's not a problem."

"Are you sure? You two looked like you enjoyed being together." I replied as we started to walk further down the paved path.

"We're friends. That's it." she answered quickly. "And besides," She placed her hands around my waist, twisting my body to the side, and pulled me closer to her. "I enjoy being with you." She made me smile and my knees trembled beneath me.

"But, he doesn't know that we're together, Gabs." I don't know why I kept dwelling on Scott. "He thinks that you guys are going to go out sometime."

"Then I'll tell him we're together." She seemed almost mad at me, but her smile radiated through the clenched teeth, or what I suspected as clenched teeth. "Why are you so worried about him?" I shrugged. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, no."

"Troy…" She begged for more information, flashing me with the puppy dog face that usually made me give in. "If something's bothering you, tell me."

"Nothing's wrong, Gabs." I started. "Other than the fact that we're about to ruin everything we've worked for. Let's just," Gabriella looked down at the ground again, I could tell she knew I was right. "Let's just forget about it." She pulled away a little bit. "Hey, look at me." She refused, as usual, and I picked her head up with my thumb…as usual. I pulled her face closer to mine and kissed her softly, afterwards placing my forehead against hers. I looked from her eyes to her lips, which were curled into a smile. Everything was going to be okay…that was what I kept telling myself and hopefully it would work.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

Troy and I agreed, together, that we would try to keep our newly renewed relationship a secret. But it was harder than I thought it would be, especially during school. Troy would look at me with those electric blue eyes that he had and I would melt, but I couldn't let anyone see it. I hated it.

"Hey," Troy's hand ran up my back, startling me a little. "C'mon." He nodded his head in a direction off to the side, taking my hand and pulling me away from everything into a dark closet.

"Troy, not again." I smiled. "The closet? Seriously, couldn't we at least have gone to your secret hiding place?" The door shut behind me, the lights remained off, as Troy pulled me in. I kind of felt like a fish, sort of like the catch of the day.

"No," he said calmly. "Remember, the guys know about it." I had forgotten about that. I nodded as he pulled my chin up towards his lips…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"What's with you?" Taylor asked as she took her seat behind me in Pre-Calc after my little 'meeting' (I guess you could call it that) with Troy in the closet. It was so hard not to tell her that Troy and I were 'us' again…in fact, it was so hard not to tell the whole school, especially when girls were eyeing him flirtatiously as he walked down the halls as though he was still single. Now that I think about it, he is single…in a way.

"Nothing." I answered, turning around to face her, whipping my hair in her face. "Why?" Taylor swatted her hand in front of her ace to get rid of my long curls.

"You're unusually happy today." She looked at me curiously. "What happened on Friday with Scott?" I quickly faced the front again, trying to avoid the subject. "What happened, Gabi?"

"Nothing?" I tried to convince her and myself while my brain furiously worked on another excuse as our teacher put a drill up on the overhead.

"Which, by the way," she whispered, "you were supposed to call me with the details." I smiled. "And, as I remember correctly, I said that if you didn't call me with the details, I would kill you. Your daughter's a witness…"

"Tay…"

"So how do you fell about oak?"

"What?" I screamed silently, turning around again.

"An oak casket. How do you feel about it? Oh, and I don't think that's an appropriate outfit for being dead and all…" she joked, seeming pleased with her self as she finished her last problem while I felt a little scared that she might actually kill me. Who was I kidding? She would never do that…or so I hoped.

Class ended just as fast as it started and the boys, Troy and Chad, met us outside the door, both leaning up against nearby lovers with their arms crossed across their chests. Troy, in his khaki slacks and blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his dark tie loosely tied, looked hot…_a lot_ hotter than Chad did. He had a game today, the whole teams was dressed up, all of them actually looking cute. He smiled at me, my knees wanting to collapse and fall into his arms, as I smiled back aware that our best friends were standing next to us.

"Hey babe." Taylor and Chad kissed briefly, they hated the idea of public affection, interlocked hands and then headed off towards the cafeteria with Troy and I following.

"Chad, I'm…uh, gonna hit the weight room. I could use some exercise." Troy told him and then looking at me, he winked. "Try to get away and when you do, meet me in the theater." He whispered it in my ear, my back curling slightly at his words. I nodded. "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay." Chad nodded and then turned back around, eager to get to the cafeteria and the food.

"Hey, Tay," I interrupted the couples small conversation about grapes and raisins, about a couple steps later, why they were talking about those items of food in the first place was beyond me. "I gotta stop at my locker to put these books away and then I'm gonna check up on Adriana. I'll meet you there?" She nodded and once she engulfed herself back into the interesting, weird conversation that Chad was continuing, I sprinted to my locked, shoving my books inside. A quick check of my hair through the pick mirror that hung on the inside of the door and then I fashionably sprinted towards the theater.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I could hear Gabriella's shoes clacking against the floor from a mile away. There were people in the theater practicing for something. I knew it wasn't the play because if it was, Gabi and I would've auditioned again…depending on when the auditions were though. I was actually surprised the twins weren't in there trying to somehow improve on their acting and singing skills…well, Sharpay anyway. I was in the very back row, pretending to watch the, _apparently_, experienced actors up on stage just as Gabi walked in.

"Whoa," I pulled on her arm, bringing her down onto the seat next to me.

"I see you got away…" I whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

"Taylor was so interested in Chad and his conversation about grapes and raisins…it was a piece of cake." she smiled, leaning closer to me.

"Raisins and grapes?" I asked, pulling away in confusion.

"Don't ask." She pulled me in and pushed her mango-watermelon glossed lips on mine. "You scoping out the competition?" I pretended to laugh, although I was really laughing…

"No," I answered softly, "I was waiting for you." I was gonna lean in for another kiss, this time hopefully to have more than one kiss, but music started to play and Gabriella and I recognized it immediately as "Breaking Free."

_"Troy, I can't do this." Gabriella stood there, me standing beside her, worried, as she looked out into the crowd. The mix of East High and West High students intimidated her. "Not with all these people staring at me." She turned to exit the stage, pressure building inside of her, as I pulled her back._

_"Hey, hey…look at me." She gazed into my piercing blue eyes as they reassured her everything was going to be okay, my soft whisper helping her nerves. "Remember the first time we sang? Like kindergarten." I smiled, music played and the backdrop was set._

"Now, Tyler," A woman's voice bellowed throughout the hall, "you've got to sing to Catie as though she's your girlfriend. But, you've got to work the crowd too, they've got to believe it." The boy nodded, moving the microphone closer to his mouth. Gabriella and I were actually pretty excited, until he opened his mouth. When his mouth opened, complete and utter horror took over my body. Tyler, or whatever his name was, completely screwed up my beautiful work…he was like two pitches off, two pitches flat. I saw Gabi cringe out of the corner of my eye and I decided to get the hell out of there.

"Oh…" That was all I could say about what had just happened as we walked it off in the hallway.

"Yeah…" Gabi frowned as she took my hand in hers, both of us still walking down the hall. "You know, we could cut lunch and go see Adriana…"

"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at her inquisitive plea. "Since when do you, of all people, cut school?"

"Since Friday." I smiled and then pulled on her hand, leading her to the parking lot.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

No POV:

While Troy and Gabriella had decided to go see their daughter, Chad and Taylor, who were still in their conversation about grapes and raisins, secretly wondered about their friends whereabouts.

"Hey guys." The twins, plus Zeke, sat down at the table, the trays of food clanging down onto the hard surface.

"Where's Troy and Gabi?" Sharpay asked as Chad and Taylor shrugged. "That's funny. They've never not been here at the same time."

"You don't think that maybe…?" Ryan hypothesized out loud as the group became wide-eyed.

"No," Chad huffed.

"Although they did seem weird today when we were standing outside of class…" Taylor recalled, looking beside her to Chad. "…almost as if they were,"

"Dating again?" Chad gasped as Taylor jumped up, dashing out of the cafeteria. "Where is she going?" The gang shrugged and then saw Taylor run back in, heavy breathing. "What?"

"She's not at the phone and she's not at her locker." She bent down, catching her breath. "That means,"

"Either she's with him or she got abducted by aliens?!" Zeke dropped his head, shaking it at his dumb friend.

"No, stupid." he told Chad. "Either she's by herself or with Troy."

"He said he was going to be in the weight room…" Chad said, pointing towards the direction of the gym.

"Well don't just stand there, go see if he's there." Taylor pushed her boyfriend towards the door and he then started running, moments later returning just as Taylor did, out of breath. "So?"

"Not there." he shook his head.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

"Aww, there's my baby girl." Troy and I entered the family room of my house where my mom was watching TV. Her head turned quickly at my words and looked surprised.

"What are you two doing here?" she questioned somewhat harshly.

"I wanted to see my baby." I simply answered, picking Adriana up from her bouncer as Troy cleared his throat. "Okay, _we_ wanted to see _our_ baby."

"You skipped school?" My mom rose her eyebrows. Why people were so surprised with me even _suggesting_ to skip school amazed me. I could do something different for once.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Troy smiled as I handed Adriana over to him. He pushed up her up high into the air and she started to kick her feet happily. "Hey princess. Daddy missed you so much."

"You guys need to get back to school." I rolled my eyes, sitting down on my couch as I watched Troy play with our little girl. "Really Gabi. This is not like you."

"Mom, stop." She looked surprised, as did Troy, when I snapped at her. "I can do whatever I want to. I'm not all 'goody two shoes' okay?"

"Well I know that. If you were, then Adriana wouldn't be here right now."

"Okay," Troy cut in. "This needs to stop. C'mon, Gabs. Let's get back, we have to anyway. Let's just let this blow over, okay?" I nodded, reluctantly, standing up again. "'K princess. Daddy and mommy will see you in a little bit." He kissed her, placing her back into her bouncer.

"I'll see you later, precious." I kissed her on the cheek and then Troy's hands pushed me outside.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Where were you two?" Chad and Taylor were standing outside of the school entrance…we were so busted now.

"We went to go see our daughter." Troy answered him before I could even consult him on what we would say. "Is that a problem?"

"Are you guys dating again?" Chad blurted out. I could tell by Taylor's expression on her face that that wasn't how their 'plan' was supposed to go.

"Us, dating?" I scoffed, trying to hide as best as I could do. "I'm going out with Scott, remember?"

"So, if you are, then how was the date on Friday?" Taylor, I could feel it, was getting suspicious. Troy looked down at me, worried…I couldn't blame him.

"It was great, actually. I'm sorry I didn't call you…" I lied. "…I got in really late and I was tired."

"Well, Tay, there's our answer then." Chad turned away to go back into the school, but Taylor pressed her hand against his chest to stop him.

"No, something's going on, Chad. Can't you tell?" Chad looked between Troy and I and Taylor, making really weird faces.

"I don't see anything wrong, babe. They said that they went to go see Adriana…and that's all it looks like." he explained softly. "Let's go before-" The bell had rung and he pointed up to the sky. "Before exactly that happens." He grabbed Taylor's hand and, together, they walked into school with Taylor glancing back at us.

"Well, we dodged a bullet there, didn't we?" Troy asked, smiling as we made our way back into the school.


	17. Storm

Chapter 17 - Storm

_Well how long have I_

_Been in the storm?_

_So overwhelmed by the ocean's_

_Shapeless floor_

_Water's getting harder to tread_

_With these waves crashing over my head_

Gabriella's POV: 2 weeks later…

Troy and I were doing pretty well at hiding our relationship from our friends. Neither one of us thought it was the best time to reveal anything, especially with our graduation quickly approaching. Tonight was prom night and it was turning out to be everything I had hoped it would be; beautiful, majestic, amazing, and just like a fairytale. Troy and I were going separately, but we weren't going with other people…we had agreed on that. We also agreed that we would see each other before we had to go over the Evans' house for pictures and the limo.

"Knock, knock." A soft tap pushed my door open just as I had slipped on my dress in front of my full length mirror. "Wow…" Troy's reflection stood in the doorway, his mouth dropping to the ground once he laid his eyes on me. I smiled as I clasped the top of the dress around my neck. The dress; a reddish color that was a halter design which had diamond stoned ends that went behind my neck, flowed down my body. "You look…"

"Is that a good thing?" I asked flirtatiously as he scanned my body over and over again, biting his bottom lip to relieve the sexual desire that, I could tell, was mounting higher and higher inside of him.

"Damn, you look amazing." He finally was able to recompose himself and then made his way over to me, instantly taking me in his arms before he leaned down and, as I like to put it in the words of Sebastian Hastings from "She's The Man", kissed the crap out of me.

"Mmm," I was the one to pull away and, of course, open my eyes first and I could still see Troy wanting more.

"Yep." he whispered. "This night is going to be awesome." I didn't know whether to slap him for his thoughts or just laugh along with him, so instead I turned around to the mirror, checking my hair which was done up in a tight do with pieces of hair framing my face in perfect curls. "You know," He started, wrapping his arms around my waist as my head immediately found the nook in his neck, cuddling up under his chin, "we don't have to go tonight. I'd be perfectly fine with staying here all night." I smiled. "No, I'd be _more_ than fine to stay here all night." It was then I noticed how amazing he looked in his tux. Even though it was a simple tux, it fit him so perfectly that it looked almost like a designer had made it for him especially for tonight. There was no flower on the jacket simply because I hadn't put it on him yet…we were going to go downstairs for the flower thing and the corsage thing and then my mom was going to get pictures of us, she might even throw Adriana into a couple of them. Adriana, who was now almost two months old and everyday she looked more and more like Troy with a little hint of me here and there. "What do you say? Can we stay here all night?"

"No." I shook my head and he groaned with disappointment. "Troy, we have to go. It's senior prom, there's no way I'm going to miss this."

"Yeah, but I can't even kiss you while we slow dance." he pouted. "How is this going to be a great senior prom?"

"Well then you'll just have to be surprised for what comes after." I teased him, walking over to my bed, taking my purse in my hand.

"What comes after?" He was excited now, but I didn't answer. "C'mon tell me." I shook my head, grabbed his tie and led him out my door. "Oh, you're good."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

After being dragged downstairs by my tie, I had plopped down on the couch with Adriana propped up against my chest in my lap. She was even dressed for the occasion. Her little feet had white laced socks covering them and a purple dress with little flowers scattered around on. She even had a purple bow in her hair, which was in abundance and growing lighter and lighter everyday to match my natural hair color, not the dye color that was now starting to wear off.

"Hi princess," I laid down on the couch, my back to the cushions and placed Adriana on my chest, her stomach touching my chest. "You're getting big, baby. Yes you are…" She tried to prop herself up, something that I thought didn't come until like she was six months old, but then maybe she was a fast grower. "You look beautiful tonight, princess. Yeah, I'm lovin' this purple arrangement you have goin' on. You totally rock the color purple."

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked me, rather loudly.

"Um, I'm telling my daughter how beautiful she looks." I answered, picking Adriana up off of me and sitting up again, propping her back up in my lap. "Is that a problem?"

"I meant what are you doing lying down? Now your tux is probably all wrinkled."

"Who cares?" I shrugged it off and she went ballistic on the inside. Sometimes she reminded me of Monica from "Friends", she always had to be neat.

"I do."

"Baby," I got up, situated Adriana in my arms and walked over to Gabi, taking her body in my free arm, "everything's going to be okay. I don't know what you're so worried about." I heard her sigh what I hoped was relief as she took Adriana's foot in her hand, playing with the little toes in the socks.

"I don't know why I'm like this." She released Adri's foot and pulled away, looking up at me with the big brown teddy bear eyes. "I just want this night to be perfect." I smiled.

"Baby, as long as I'm with you tonight, then it'll be perfect." She made an 'Aww' noise, pushing her way towards my lips, briefly kissing me when her mother came in.

"Stay there." she ordered, camera in her hand. "That's perfect. Now smile." The flash went off and I was blinded. Gabriella was probably blinded and Adriana, if she had her eyes open, was probably blind now. "Oh, that was perfect. Okay, two more." Two more blinding flashes and then Adriana was taken from me and put on the floor with her arc thing that had toys dangling from it occupying her for the time. "Now, get close you two. It's not like you haven't been closer."

"Mom," Gabriella warned even though I knew Ms. Montez was just joking. I wrapped my arms around Gabriella's waist, drawing her closer to me as our stomachs finally touched, both of us smiling.

"Perfect!" This time there were about seven flashes that seemed to go on forever.

"Okay mom, I think that's enough." But her mother didn't give up. "Mom," Gabriella had to say it about a million times, and by the time the flashes _did_ stop, my cheeks were sore from smiling all that time.

"Okay, we gotta go." I told Gabi, my hand pressed against her back after we had done the flower thing and the corsage thing, her mother getting pictures of every move. She nodded. "See ya later, princess. Daddy loves you."

"I love you precious. Be good for grandma." Gabi kissed Adriana's forehead and then kissed her mother just before we left, both in separate cars.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

The night had completely exhausted me. From all the pictures before hand, to the limo ride…yeah, that had even exhausted me, I don't think I've laughed that much or that hard in my life…to the dinner and then the dancing. However, it was amazing. Troy and I hadn't given anything away, even though we danced with each other the whole time, the slow dances being the best of course. Troy was crowned king and, surprisingly, Callie was crowned queen, something that I thought I would've been fine with, but not with the history between them and Troy could totally tell I was jealous and scared at the same time.

"Oh my gosh." The door slammed behind Troy quietly, seeing as though it was almost 3 in the morning when we got home. I took his hand and led him into the kitchen so I could get something to drink.

"Did you guys have fun?" I must have jumped a foot in the air, scared to death as we turned around to see my mom on the couch looking intently at us.

"Mom," I breathed heavily, my hand over my heart, "what are you doing up?"

"I was waiting for you two to get home." she answered quietly. "Honestly, I didn't know if Troy would come back with you or not, but I'm glad he did."

"You're glad that I'm here at like 3 in the morning, with your daughter?" He asked surprised. "And you're okay with the fact that I sleep over in your daughter's room?" She nodded, actually smiling and I couldn't blame him for being surprised.

"Of course." My mother nodded again. "Now, go upstairs and sleep." _Yeah, that's what we're going to do_, I thought to myself as I grabbed Troy's hand leading him up to my room with a glass of water in my other hand.

"I am exhausted." I said on our way up.

"No," he whispered behind me, "you can't be. You promised me something afterwards." I could feel myself smiling, even though that was the last thing I wanted to do, and I chuckled. I stopped at Adriana's doorway, checking in on her with Troy close behind me.

"She's amazing." I muttered, watching her feet kick every here and there while she probably dreamed of castles and princesses, considering she was a daddy's girl. "You know," I looked up at Troy, "she's going to be a real hassle when she gets older if you don't stop with the whole 'daddy's little girl thing'."

"I can not believe you just said that."

"What? It's true."

"But it's my right as a father." he protested softly, whispering it in my ear. "And, if we had a boy instead of a girl, then he would be a momma's boy." I turned around, gasping and then pushed him into my room, which now kind of felt like our room. He had spent every single night over here, ever since we got back together, but I wasn't complaining and apparently, neither was my mom.

"I can not believe you just said that." I mimicked him and he smiled, unbuttoning the jacket cuffs.

"What's? It's true." I smiled, closing the door softly behind my, trying really hard not to make a noise or otherwise, Adriana would be screaming in a heartbeat. "So, what's the surprise?" He just wouldn't let it go. I slipped off my shoes at the door and seductively walked over to him…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

She walked over to me, strutting in the way that made me want her even more that I already did. Every step she took was like heaven to me and I just stood there, watching her intently.

"I think," she softly said as she finally reached where I was standing, slipping off my jacket as she continued to look in my gaze, "you already know." Oh yeah, I knew. She rose up for a kiss, which led to more than one kiss, and then that led to a full on make out session that involved our tongues. I honestly didn't know how a make out session couldn't involve tongues, but I hear people say it all the time. Now, granted, I'm like eavesdropping so I probably don't hear the whole story.

"Mmm," she groaned, her hands around my waist as she hungrily kissed me and then she pulled away, definitely without my consent, and her eyes darted from my eyes to my lips Why she did that, I didn't know. I could smell the lip gloss all over my face again, I had pretty much gotten used to that, but it felt all sticky now. Her hands, now running up my chest, found the first button on my shirt and her fingers delicately unbuttoned it, both of us still standing apart wanting more. It took a few seconds before she was finally unbuttoning the last button and she pulled the shirt off of me, well I helped a little bit. And then we were back to standing close, our lips touching and parting as our tongues explored each others mouths. I threw my hands up in the air while she frantically pulled my undershirt off, our only loss of contact when we had to pull it over my head. Neither one of us could get enough of each other. My hands had a life of their own and they held her close, supporting her back and then they found the strings that held her dress up. I could tell Gabi knew what I was doing and she didn't stop me. The clasp was undone and the dress swiftly flew to the ground. At that point I took a step back, my eyes scanning her beautifully bronzed body that was in better shape than ever. She smiled and then pushed me down onto the bed, my back hitting the mattress furiously. She climbed over top of me, her knees on either side of my hips as she placed small kisses along my chest, making her way up to my neck…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

I woke up in a sweat and probably screaming too. Literally, tears of sweat were rolling down my face and I knew that it had nothing to do with what Troy and I had done earlier. I was convinced that my dream that I had had, was a nightmare that would never go away.

"Hey," Troy stirred beside me, rolling over to my side as he whispered, swiping his hand up and down my bare back as I sat up, breathing heavily, "you okay?" I didn't say anything and the next thing I knew, he was sitting up next to me, looking at me worried. "What's wrong?" I shook my head like I didn't know as hot tears were streaming down my face. I even swallowed tears in my throat, there were too many for me to handle at the time.

"Hey, baby, come here." Troy pulled me into his chest as we laid back down, my head resting against his skin. I desperately wanted to tell him what was wrong, but when I tried to speak, nothing came out so I just cried even harder, soaking his skin in salty puddles. "You're okay, honey." he reassured me softly. "I'm right here." The only thin I could do was nod, so I did. "It's okay." I tried to take his words and use them to calm me down, closing my eyes slowly to drift off again.

_I was standing over Adriana's crib. She was screaming, crying hysterically for me to pick her up and rock her back to sleep. But, for some reason, I wouldn't. I continued to look at my beautiful baby girl, her feet kicking violently as she persisted in screaming for attention and help. But, I just stood there. I didn't budge even a millimeter._

_"Shh…" I told her, watching her wail even harder now. "It'll be okay." I kept telling her that. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay." My hands were cupped around the railing, I wanted to move them to pick her up or to brush her cheek with them to let her know that I was there. "It won't hurt a bit, I promise precious." And that's when I noticed that I was holding a knife in my hand._

Only, instead of it being a dream…a horrible, terrifying dream…it turned out to be real, minus the knife thing. Adriana was screaming at the top of her lungs, and everyone knew that she had some pair of lungs, but I just wouldn't do anything about it.

"Is she okay?" Troy came in dressed in a pair of plaid, baggy pajama pants that he had brought over a long time ago and he had no shirt on. I shrugged. "Well, aren't you going to pick her up?" Again, I shrugged. I could hear him walk over beside me, the carpet making a soft noise, and he picked up Adriana quickly. That was it, she had stopped crying.

"Come here, baby." he told her in what he called, his 'Adriana' voice. "Daddy's got you now. Yeah, you're okay." Her tears subsided, but mine seemed to come again as I watched Troy rock her from side to side, shushing her to calm down. "See, you just needed someone to hold you, huh?" She was listening to him, I could see her looking up at him with exact replicas of his eyes, intently watching the words come out of his mouth.

"I gotta go do something." I broke the weirdness that I could feel was mounting and started to leave the room.

"Wait, Gabs." Troy called after me. I stopped, not facing him because now all of a sudden, the sight of Adriana made me shake with terror that I would hurt her. "What's going on? Why wouldn't you pick Adri up?"

"I don't know." I answered, staring at the banister for the stairs in front of me.

"Well, will you turn and face me please?" I shook my head. "Why not?"

"I gotta go do something." I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I ran the short distance into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Now, it really wasn't my room anymore, but I needed to figure this out. Why all of a sudden was this happening to me? I loved my little girl, my precious baby…I loved her. My hand was still on the gold doorknob as I locked it, the tears getting the best of me. I slid down the door, my butt finally crashing onto the floor and I pulled my knees closer to my body, laying my head on my kneecaps, finally letting the tears go as I cried uncontrollably.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I still had Adriana in my arms as I made my way downstairs to hand her off to Gabriella's mom so I could go check on Gabi. She was acting weirder than usual and that scared me.

"Hey," Ms. Montez greeted me in the kitchen, "you look, worried."

"I am." I told her and she perked up for the details as to why. "Um, could you possibly watch Adriana for a couple minutes? She just woke up and I don't know what she needs, but I have to go check on Gabriella."

"Why?" She nodded to watching Adriana and I handed my daughter over to her.

"I don't know what's going on with her, but she just ran out of Adri's room, crying." I explained, her mother getting a concerned look on her face. "She wouldn't even look at me."

"Go then." She was very understanding, I noticed that. "Go see if you can get her to open up." I nodded as my thank you and then retraced my path back up stairs. And it wasn't till I was fully upstairs that I noticed I had no shirt on and I was in front of my probably future mother-in-law…how embarrassing. I shook my head, beating myself up over that fact, when I came to the door of Gabi's room. I tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Gabi?" I heard crying and looked down at the bottom of the floor, which was blocked by a black shadow. "Baby, c'mon. Let me in, tell me what's wrong." I shook the doorknob, but it was still locked. Cries were now louder and my heart broke into a million pieces at that sound. "Gabriella, open up. Please?"

"Uh uh." She managed to get out between cries and sniffs. "Go away."

"Gabi, baby, tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." I begged, pleaded, did everything I could. She just wouldn't unlock the door, she wouldn't let me help her. And it killed me. It literally felt like someone stabbed me in the heart, my heart just ached for her to let me in…and not just in the door, but in what she was feeling, in what she was going through. After everything that we had been through, I didn't know if I could fix this without storming out or without causing a fuss. She just wouldn't let me in…something I thought that we had gotten past.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

I wanted to let Troy in. I wanted to tell him that something wasn't right. I wanted to tell him my dream. I wanted to cry in his arms as he rocked me as though I was still a baby. But, for some reason, I just wouldn't let him be there for me. I wouldn't let him take care of me like I should've. He tried for an hour, straight, to get me to open the door and tell him what was wrong. _An hour_…that's how much he loves me and I love him back, but I didn't do anything and I could feel his heart breaking through the door. The only brief interruption was my mom, who had come upstairs for an update and to put Adriana in her crib for a nap. That was my job, to put my baby down for a nap was my job. I felt betrayed, for some reason, and I felt like I was pathetic.

"Okay, baby." Troy finally whispered after a couple minutes of silence. "You win this one." I didn't want to win anything, it wasn't a competition. "I don't know what's going on with you and I don't know what you're going through, but I wish you would let me in so I could help you." _Yeah, I want that too_, I thought. "That's what couples do, they let each other help one another. But, for reasons I can't think of right now, you just don't want anything to do with me. And if that's what it takes for you to get over whatever you're going through, then I'll stay away. But, I have to warn you, staying away is like being in the kitchen or the family room or any room downstairs that you're not in or any room upstairs that you're not in." I couldn't help but laugh silently, but the tears kept coming. "I heard that little laugh. I love you, baby…more than you will ever know. I'll be downstairs with your mom. Adriana's sleeping in her crib and if she wakes up, don't worry about it, I'll get her." I heard the carpet move again and then I could sense that he was gone.

It was about an hour later and I had fallen asleep on the floor, which wasn't really comfortable, but it had to do. I was too weak to get on my bed, so I stayed put…it was the logical thing to do. But, when I woke up, I wasn't in my room…I was in Adriana's room, standing over her crib. This time, apart from my dream, she wasn't screaming or crying hysterically for me to pick her up and rock her back to sleep. There was no pressure for me to budge or pick her up. I looked down at my baby girl, her chest rising with every small breath she took as she peacefully slept.

"Shh…" I told her, watching her lie there perfectly still. "It'll be okay." I kept telling her that, even though I was really talking to air. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay." My hands were back to cupping the edge of the railing and I wanted to touch her beautiful, baby soft skin, but they wouldn't move. "It'll be okay, it won't hurt a bit, I promise, precious." And then, just like in my dream, only now I wasn't dreaming, a knife was in my hand. This was real…no joke, and it scared the crap out of me, but I knew what I was doing…sort of. I felt as though someone else was in my body, because I know that I would never do anything to hurt my baby. I felt like a monster. My hands started to shake as the knife was lowered down towards my baby's neck.

"Gabriella," a voice stood in the doorway and I perked up immediately. Turning around, the knife fully visible in my hand, I saw Troy wide eyed and shaking. "What are you doing?"


	18. Breakdown

AN: Okay, this is probably one of my favorite chapters so far in this story, right next to when Troy found out about Adriana. It's the longest chapter I've ever written for one of my stories, so I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 18 - Breakdown

_You cannot save me_

_Well it's not the time to breakdown_

_Well it's not the time to breakdown_

_Well it's not the time to break up this love_

_Keep it together now_

_Well it's no the time to break_

Troy's POV:

I stood there, in Adriana's doorway, looking at Gabriella with the knife in her hand, shocked. I tried to grasp everything as it happened so quickly, and while I did, I could've sworn that when I walked up to the door, Gabriella looked like she was going to kill my daughter…_our_ daughter. It took me a while to figure out that I was shaking, probably uncontrollably. I had never had so much fear take over my body at one particular time and it was mounting higher and higher as I feared for Adriana's safety, even my own safety.

"What are you doing?" My voice trembled as she looked at her hand and then back at me, tears sliding down her face. This wasn't her. The person standing in front of me, crying and quivering, was not my girlfriend or the mother of my child. She looked terrified and helpless and finally she just left the knife go, dropping it on the ground, not even caring if it cut her hand.

"I-I" she stuttered as her hands rose up from her sides to cover her face and she crashed down on the floor. She just crumbled right before my eyes, in her big sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants, which I didn't understand why she was wearing them because it was almost June.

"Ms. Montez!" I screamed at the top of my lungs from exactly where I had been standing for what seemed like forever. There was no way I was going to rush downstairs and leave Adriana alone with Gabriella again, not with what I had witnessed. Gabi's mom came running up, hopping over steps and almost crashing into me.

"What?" she breathed heavily and I just pointed at Gabi on the floor and the knife lying next to her. She took a step back, probably to reexamine the sight, and then she just rushed to Gabriella's side, giving me the all clear to take Adriana from her crib. "Sweetie…" Her mom pushed Gabi's head against her chest, rocking her back and forth, trying to get something out of her.

"Taylor," I had gone downstairs, Adriana sleeping in my arms, and gotten on the phone immediately.

"Yeah?" she answered, yawning loudly.

"I need you to watch Adriana for the day. Something's going on that I can't really tell you. I actually don't really _want_ to tell you, but I really need your help."

"Sure." She sounded scared and worried that it wasn't something really bad. If I told anyone what I saw, no on would believe me. I just knew that it wasn't Gabriella upstairs right now…it was definitely someone else.

"Thank you. I'll have a bag ready and everything. I'll swing by in a couple minutes." I could hear her nod and then I grabbed everything that I thought Adriana would've needed for a day and shoved it into the bag and drove off in Gabi's car.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

White surrounded me. And it wasn't the nice kind of white, it was a grungy looking white that you could easily pull off the walls. I sat on a bed, which was also white, my arms crossed on my stomach while my mom stared at me, worried. Troy wasn't there and I had never felt so abandoned or sick in my life. My stomach churned with different emotions and questions and my head focused on Troy. He had disappeared rather quickly when my mom had decided to take me to the hospital to get looked at by a shrink. Obviously, Troy wanted me to be arrested.

"Gabi…" My mom had been trying to get me to open up about what had happened, but honestly, I couldn't answer her because I had no idea. "Talk to me, honey. What are you thinking?" I continued to stare at the ground, playing games with the patterns in the tiled floor, fully ignoring my mother. I could tell she was running out of ideas to talk about and ways to get me to answer. All I wanted was to see Troy, to tell him that I was sorry and have him believe me. I wanted to know what was wrong with me…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

"She did what?!" Taylor and Chad screamed at the same time while they sat on the couch. I nodded, looking at Adriana sleeping in my arms. She was so innocent, I just couldn't understand what would drive Gabriella to harm her…she hadn't done anything.

"I saw her." I answered softly, my eyes returning to my friends sitting across from me. They were horrified and it looked like they didn't believe me, but I knew they did.

"She didn't hurt Adriana, did she?" I shook my head, Taylor sighing relief. "But, why? Gabriella wouldn't do anything like that."

"I know." I told them, my hand brushing Adri's face softly, trying to keep her from waking up. "That's just it…Gabi wouldn't do something like this. It's almost as if-"

"Someone else was telling her to do it?" Chad finished my sentence and I looked up at him, but his eyes were fixed on the table in front of him.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"Well, Adriana can stay here as long as you need her to…just to make sure she's really safe." Taylor suggested, her hands on Chad's lap, trying to get him to snap back into reality. "And, Troy, if you need somewhere to go, somewhere other than your parents house, then the door is always open."

"Your parents won't mind?" I asked, hoping for a different answer from Ms. Montez's.

"No." she answered, smiling, my wish denied. "My parents are mostly away for business and Chad's over here all the time, they don't mind." I nodded, thanking her and then returned to staring at my daughter as she slept.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

Troy was probably over at Chad's house, or Taylor's house if Chad was over there, explaining everything to them. They were going to think that I was a monster. I already thought I was a monster, I didn't need other people rubbing it in my face too.

"Gabriella?" A tall, African-American, lady walked in dressed in a long white lab coat with a tablet in her hand and a pen intertwined in her fingers. I decided I should probably stand up to at least shake her hand as she shook my mom's hand. "Hi," She took my hand in hers and firmly grasped it, "I'm Dr. Winters."

"Hi." I whispered, watching my mom gasp out of the corner of my eye, amazed that I was finally talking, but surprised that I would talk to a stranger rather talk to her.

"Before we get started, I just want to say that I'm not here to judge you any way." she said, trying to catch my eye contact while I returned to the tile patterns. "I'm here to help you."

"That's what we're here for, right Gabs?" my mom asked me and I ignored it once again. I wasn't going to talk, no one would understand what I was going through anyway. That being so, what would be the point of talking about it? Exactly…there was no point.

"Another thing," Dr. Winters started, this time addressing my mother. "This is just going to be me and Gabriella…part of patient-doctor confidentiality." My mom seemed astounded at the doctors request, but I knew deep down she understood, she was just doing this to make sure I was okay and in the right hands. "I assure you, Ms. Montez, I will take good care of your daughter. I promise." I saw my mother nod as she walked over to me, kissing my hair before she left, the door shutting quietly behind her.

"Okay, Gabriella," She was now in her serious, work mode and she forced me to look at her this time, pushing my chin up with her hand, like Troy did all the time. "Tell me what happened." I shook my head. "Gabriella, I won't judge you…I promise." I understood that, I did, but I knew she was going to think I was a freak show. "Gabriella, please? Let me help you."

"You're going to think I'm a monster and a horrible person." I told her, finally using my voice and I realized it was still shaky. "Which I am because I would never do something like I did."

"Which is?" I didn't want to tell her, but I also knew that it was the only way to figure out what was wrong with me. First, admitting something was wrong with me was a really big step for me…I don't really know why, but it was.

"I-I" I stuttered, not able to bring myself to say it.

"It's okay, Gabi." she coaxed me softly and I felt myself nodding to her.

"I tried to," I began, looking up at her, her eyes intently watching me, "kill my daughter…with a knife." I shut my eyes, waiting for her to scream or jump up and move away from me, but she continued to sit there in front of me only now she was writing stuff down on the tablet. I glanced over her knee, trying to get a glimpse of what she was writing, but the only thing I could see was her handwriting. It was very nice, curly and kind of a mix between cursive and print.

"What are you writing?" I asked.

"I'm just keeping track of what we talk about so that I can evaluate the situation better." she answered once she stopped writing and then looked back at me. "So what happened exactly?"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

Taylor had invited me to stay for dinner and I accepted even though I knew I should've been with Ms. Montez at the hospital to make sure Gabriella was okay. I just couldn't leave my baby girl, I literally was clinging onto her.

"Troy," Taylor smiled at me as she looked over at me holding Adriana, "you and Gabriella are together, aren't you?" I had totally forgotten about the secrecy of our relationship.

"Yeah." I answered, shutting my eyes in anticipation for her reaction.

"We kind of knew." Chad told me and I reopened my eyes, surprised. "We could tell last night at the dance…the way you guys were holding each other while you danced and the look in your eyes when you looked at her…we knew."

"Does everyone know?" I asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Well, Sharpay doesn't, I don't think she does, but everyone else…yeah." Taylor answered. "We didn't want to say anything until you guys were ready for us to know."

"Was it really obvious?"

"For some people, yeah. But like I said, Sharpay doesn't know." Taylor reinstated and I nodded again. I felt like a weirdo for nodding all the time, but I didn't know what else to do or say about it. "And, just so you know, we're really happy for you guys."

"Yeah," I muttered, "that is if there still an 'us'." Taylor hung her head when I said that and Chad got his butt off of the bar stool and walked over to me.

"Troy, she's going to be okay." he assured me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Maybe it's just a phase, you know, a phase that comes after they have a baby."

"And this phase contains trying to kill our daughter?" I snapped back, unwillingly becoming angry at him. "Look, Chad, I know you're trying to help and I appreciate it, but I don't know if I can…" I wondered if I could ever look at Gabriella the same way. I loved her, I still do, but it just changed drastically between us. "…I don't know."

"I know you don't know." he told he, moving to the table in front of me, parking his butt on that. "But, you'll figure it out. I mean, you always do."

"You sound like, one, you're either my girlfriend, or two, you're my mother." I joked, trying to crack the serious atmosphere. "And last time I checked, you were neither."

"I am your best friend though. And, being your best friend, I know it will all work out."

"Thanks, bud. I needed that." He nodded.

"Okay, now let me see my niece and you go eat." He pulled my hands off of Adriana and took her away from me, bouncing her back to sleep in his arms.

"I'm not really in the mood to eat…" I tried to get out of it, but Chad pushed me over to the island bar stools.

"It'll help…trust me." Taylor pushed the bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs in front of me and looking at it, I couldn't resist.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

"And I just woke up in her room, standing over the railing of her crib with a knife in my hand." I confessed, hot tears stinging my cheeks as they rolled down my face. "I didn't know how I got there or what I was doing, I felt like I was being possessed by some other person."

"And then, I'm guessing, that the knife lowered down to your daughter's neck?" Dr. Winters had, up until this point, let me tell the story and didn't say a word. I nodded. "Did you hurt her?"

"No." I told her. "My boyfriend came in and saw me before I did anything to her. I don't know if I would've done anything to hurt her, I love her. She's my baby girl, my precious girl." And then my thoughts trailed back to Troy.

"You're boyfriend? Is he the father of your daughter?" I nodded. "And his name is?"

"I don't know if you're together anymore, not after what happened. But, his name is Troy." I told her. "You're not going to say anything to him about this, right? I mean, that we talking about him?" She shook her head.

"Patient-doctor confidentiality." I breathed relief.

"How old is your daughter?"

"Her name's Adriana Michelle," I started, smiling.

"That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you." I smiled even bigger, I could feel the smile expanding. "She's about two months old." Dr. Winters wrote something down and then made this "Ahh." noise. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Where are you going?" I asked her as she stood up, heading for the door. She stopped, her lab coat swaying to the side.

"I think I have enough to work with." She looked at me happy and sad at the same time.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I stood up, rushing over to her side. "You know what's wrong with me?" She nodded, failing to tell me what she knew, and left the room.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

It was getting late, it was almost 8:00 when Taylor had finished cleaning up after dinner. I had decided to have Adriana stay there for the night, Taylor and Chad were going to watch her and I had brought everything over that she needed. As to whether or not I would be staying there, well I hadn't decided yet.

"Troy," Taylor came over to me, the phone in her hand, "it's Gabriella's mom." I was hesitant in taking it, but I soon found myself putting it up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Troy, it's Ms. Montez." she answered, her voice soft.

"I know."

"I'm at the hospital, something you already knew, but the doctor says she knows what happened like medically wise." she explained and I thought that she was going to tell me over the phone so my heart started racing as I anticipated the news. "You should probably come down here."

"Ms. Montez, I don't know." I told her, fearing the worst for some reason. "I don't want to leave Adriana, I mean-"

"I know, believe me, I know." she interrupted. "But, you need to be here." I nodded and I could tell she heard me. "It's on the 3rd floor. I'll meet you at the elevator."

"Okay." I huffed. "I'll see you in a couple minutes." I clicked the off button on the phone and set it down on the coffee table. I could feel Taylor and Chad's eyes on me and I knew that they knew what the call was about.

"Here." Taylor came in front of me and held her arms out to take my daughter from mine.

"Support the head." I advised even though Taylor knew what she was doing. She didn't say that she had held her before, which I knew she had, she just nodded as though she was hearing it for the first time. I stood up.

"Okay, princess. Daddy will be back to check up on you, I promise." I took her small hand with my couple of fingers. "You're safe here, okay. Aunt Taylor and Uncle Chad are the best…I should know." Taylor smiled at me. "I love you, baby girl, _so_ much." I kissed her forehead gently and placed her hand back on her pudgy stomach.

"Tay, thanks for everything." I hugged her, careful not to crush Adri and she nodded.

"Anytime. That's what we're here for." I grabbed my keys off the island and then did the manly hug thing with Chad.

"It'll be okay, remember that." he told me as we broke apart. I slowly made my way over to the door, slipping my shoes on and then looked back over my shoulder. Taylor grabbed Adriana's hand and made it so that she was waving goodbye, which killed me. My hand rose, waving to my friends and then I shut the door.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

The hospital was a couple minutes away and it was a good drive, if you count fretting over what the doctor knew during the whole ride there a good drive. I hated hospitals, I always had and everyone knew that. The sick, dying people scared me. Last time I was here was when Adriana was born, which was only two months ago, but it felt like forever. I had never been on the 3rd floor, but I knew it was the Psych ward. I had, however, been on the 2nd and 4th floors; the 2nd because of my dad and the 4th because of Gabi and Adriana.

Ms. Montez was right, she did meet me at the elevator. The doors started to open and I immediately saw her sitting on what looked like a bench, or it could've been a chair, with her hands covering her face.

"Ms. Montez," My hand rested on her shoulder and she perked up, wiping tear stains from her face, "hi." We hugged tightly and I could hear her crying a little bit more on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." she laughed, her thumbs removing the tears from her eyes. I shook my head. "It's this way." She led me down three hallways, all of them a nasty looking white color that was peeling itself off the walls. White was such a boring color and yet every building had used it in some way. A couple steps down the third hallway doors started to plaster themselves on both sides of us and people were on the other side of the door, some lying in the beds and some just staring off into space. Now there were new things to add to my list of why hospitals scared me. We made a quick turn at the end of the hall and there stood one door, all by itself, with a woman standing outside of it. She was dressed in a long lab coat and her hair was pushed behind her ears, looking very professional, while her pen tapped on the tablet she was holding.

"Troy, this is Dr. Winters." Ms. Montez introduced us, the lady holding out her hand for me to take. I took it, firmly shaking it.

"You're the boyfriend." I nodded even though I didn't know where Gabi and I stood at the time. Obviously Gabriella had talked about me.

"Before I can say anything-" I had toned her out for the boring stuff, she was just explaining procedures and stuff to Gabi's mom anyway. I peered into the window behind her, pushing Dr. Winters aside indirectly, and saw a frail body sitting on the edge of the bed.

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight

Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time

Gabriella didn't notice me and, to be honest, I didn't recognize her in that room. She was still dressed in the baggy, flannel pants and big sweatshirt from earlier and her hair still had remnants of curls and gel in it from last night's dance. She looked as though she was sulking in that room.

And I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts

I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

She looked helpless and terrified at the same time, I could sense a mix of emotions stirring inside of her. Her color was drained out of her, her face as pale as a skeleton and her hands were shaking as she twiddled her thumbs to occupy herself. She was doing her famous foot tapping thing that she normally did on a regular basis when she was sitting somewhere.

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart that's still beating

I continued to stare at her, hoping she wouldn't notice me. I focused on her face and I saw tears dropping onto her arm, the sweatshirt getting darker in places. That seemed like the Gabriella I knew and loved, the mother of my child, my girlfriend. She seemed innocent, sorry, and just her regular self. She was quiet, I would've expected her to be humming or singing to herself, but she was quiet.

In the pain there is healing

In your name, I find meaning

She finally looked up from her hands and immediately turned her head towards me. Her eyes, puffy with tears and red with light black circles underneath her eyes from exhaustion, pierced my gaze. She didn't smile at me, she didn't wave, she just looked at me. Tears still streamed down her face, but now they were bigger and coming faster, something I thought had to with my presence.

"Troy?" Ms. Montez pulled on my arm, shaking me back into the conversation as Dr. Winters' look asked if I was listening.

"So, what's you're take on all of this?" I asked softly, trying not to bring my eyes back to Gabi.

"It's simple, actually." the doctor began to explain. "Gabriella is suffering from Postpartum Depression."

"Depression? From what?" I was shocked. I mean, it never seemed like she was sad, especially when we had sex last night.

"New mothers get it. Actually old mothers get it too, but it's a form of depression that comes after having a baby." she explained, going into more detail. "It could be from adjusting to her new life of having to take care of another person who's so dependent on her, it could be from starting school again. It could be from all sorts of things."

"Is there a way to cure it?" Ms. Montez asked. She already knew that's what it was, though…why didn't she tell me?

"Actually, yeah." _Good,_ I thought. "Therapy, like what you brought her in for today, anti-depressants, support groups…"

"If she goes on anti-depressants won't that hurt the baby when she's being fed?" Ms. Montez just had a load of questions to ask. Me, well I just stood there, listening to the doctor explain everything while I looked back at Gabriella.

"It could, but I think the bigger risk right now is Gabriella's health." Gabriella continued to look out the window, focusing on me once I returned my eyes to her. She made no emotion to me, again, but then again, I didn't make any emotion to seeing her.

So I'm holding on, I'm holding on, I'm holding on

I'm barely holding onto you

"The important thing, Troy," I snapped back into reality again, my eyes wondering back to Dr. Winters, "is your support. She needs you behind her on this because if not, then I don't know if she will get better."

"So, you're really saying that Gabi's health relies on me?" I questioned nervously and she nodded. "Oh, no pressure there, huh?"

"Look, Troy. It's obvious to me that she loves you a lot." I smiled. "But, she's worried that you guys are over now. She didn't have to say anything for me to know that."

"You guys talked about me?"

"Yeah, but I can't say anything…patient-doctor confidentiality." Yeah, that answer made me feel a lot better. "She needs you, it's as simple as that." Ms. Montez looked at me, her gaze sad and hopeful and it pierced my heart. I turned out to be a _very _sensitive guy. "Here, I'll give you a couple minutes with her. Ms. Montez and I will go talk about treatment."

"I don't know, Dr. Winters." I stammered.

"Troy, please." Ms. Montez begged and I couldn't say no to her face. I nodded and the placed my hand on the doorknob, slowly turning it.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

The broken locks were a warning, you got inside my head

I tired my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead

The door creaked open and footsteps quietly made their way into the room. Size 11, Chucks…it was Troy. I didn't make a move to say anything to him, to scare him even more. I just continued to look at the floor, it was actually quite fascinating now. He moved closer, stopping far enough away to keep his distance. I could sense the fear, I could even smell it, but I didn't say anything to tell him it was okay. Truth was, I didn't even know if it was okay or not.

"Gabriella," His voice was soft and trembling, he was probably shaking in his shoes.

And I still see your reflection inside of my eyes

That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life

I looked up at his face, his blue eyes shaded by foreign eyes that I couldn't bare to look at.

"Don't look at me like that." I whispered, hanging my head again.

"Like what?"

"Like that." My head rose again and I actually stood up, my hands slipping into the sleeves of the sweatshirt, clutching the open end of the sleeves to hide them away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he answered, his hands fiddling with the keys in his pocket.

"Don't look at me like I'm a monster," I scoffed as tears started to well up in my eyes, "like I'm a freak or a horrible person." He wanted to say something, but I wouldn't let him. "'Cause I already know that I am."

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart that's still breathing

In the pain, is there healing?

In your name, I find meaning

"Gabriella," he started, but shortly stopped. He was thinking, something I would've normally joked about, but I refrained.

"It's okay if you think that, I've give you good reason to." I bit my bottom lip hard, really hard to try not to cry as much, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. There was silence for a couple minutes, minutes that seemed like years, between us and the atmosphere screamed awkward.

"Gabriella, this is really hard for me." he finally muttered, breaking the silence.

"And you think this has just been a picnic for me?" I raised my voice, something that didn't really help my case.

"I didn't say it hadn't." he answered, his tone now more serious. "I don't know what to tell you, what to say to fix this, because I don't know how."

"No, you sound like you're putting us in the past." Tears were now fully coming out of my eyes, I couldn't focus on Troy because he was all blurry.

"Gabriella,"

"You can't," I cried, "you can't just give up on us, not after we worked so hard for it." He shook his head, I could tell he was holding back tears. "What about last night? Didn't it mean anything to you?"

"Of course it did." His nose was getting a pinkish-red color and his eyes were getting glassy. "It meant everything in the world to me, you know that."

"Then why are you saying the things you're saying?" I sniffed back even more tears, finally being able to see Troy's full figure again.

"I just," he stuttered, wiping away the tears and stress from his face, "I don't know what to do."

So I'm holding on, I'm holding on, I'm holding on

I'm barely holding onto you

"Don't you love me?" I knew that was the wrong thing to throw in his face, but I didn't have anything else left in my head that would convince him to stay with me. His face grew this disgusted look.

He rolled his head towards the ceiling, smiling weirdly, his eyes looking all over the ceiling, "Yeah, I do."

"Then we can work it out, right?" I asked, tears flying down my face like rockets. "That's what couples do, or even people in love, they work it out."

"Gabi, I don't know about this one." he shook his head. "I just don't know." I smiled nervously, tears slipping off of my lips and my nose and onto my pants. I guess I had realized that this was the end. I just couldn't believe it.

I'm hanging on another day just to what you will throw my way

And I'm hanging on to the words you say

You said that I will, will be okay

I finally just let my body take control of the situation, which led to me crashing onto the cold floor, sobs and small screams escaping my mouth. And Troy just watched.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

She had fallen apart in front of me before, when Adriana was in the hospital, but this…this was on a whole new level. She screamed, softly, and mixed that with crying, or should I say sobbing. She had completely fallen apart this time and I knew I was the reason. I stood there, watching my girlfriend tears herself apart, because I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run. I wanted to run to the doctor to get her to help, I wanted to run to Gabriella's mom to get her to help, I just wanted to run somewhere…it was that simple.

"I-" she stammered that word forever, she couldn't manage to get anything else out. And I just watched, my heart breaking into smaller pieces now, but I didn't do anything to help her.

"Gabriella," I tried to calm her down, I tried to kneel down beside her. I _wanted_ to kneel down beside her and take her head and pull into my chest and rock her side to side and tell her it was going to be okay. My mind just wouldn't let me, when my heart was screaming at me to go to her, it was aching to hold her.

The broken light from the freeway left me here alone

I may have lost my way now, haven't forgot my way home

It was about a couple minutes later when she seemed to regain her composure and she stood back up, went over to the edge of the bed and plopped down on it. Her hands, still hiding in the sleeves, wiped away the tears, which were in abundance, from her face.

"I'm not a horrible person, Troy," she sniffed, "and I wish that you would you believe me."

"Gabs, I do." I answered her softly, standing in front of her. "I do."

"No you don't, you're just saying that." she shook her head. "But, I wish you did, because then this would've been a lot easier for me to handle." There was that 'relying on me' thing the doctor was talking about.

"I'm not a monster." She started to cry again and this time, I tried to stop her from losing control.

"You're not, and I know that." She seemed appalled by that answer. I bent down, bouncing on my knees, trying to get her to look at me again. "You're suffering from postpartum depression. Yours is just as rapid case."

"I'm depressed?"

"Yeah, that's what the doctor said." I expected her to shriek and scream, but she just nodded. I took her hands out of the sleeves and held them in my own. They were cold and still shaking. "It's a form of depression mothers, and fathers, get after having a baby."

"How come you're not depressed?" she asked and I shrugged, I didn't know the answer.

"I think it's from taking care of Adriana, by yourself for the first four weeks…that didn't help any…and going back to school, trying to fit back in again." I explained, watching her accept it all without a peep. She stayed silent for a while.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, baby?" She smiled _her_ smile at me, butterflies growing in my stomach again.

"One," she started, her hands holding onto mine tightly, "I want to get out of here. Two, I want to see my baby," I tried not to show my fear in that statement, "three, I want to know where we stand."

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

With a broke heart that's still breathing

In the pain there is healing

In your name, I find meaning

I knew that was coming.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" she asked, her eyes intently staring into mine. Those eyes I knew, those eyes I saw all the time…they were Gabriella's teddy bear brown eyes that made my knees quiver under me.

"I really don't know what to do about this one…" She hung her head. "But," I pushed her chin up, "I think that maybe we can work through this together." She squealed, I even wanted to squeal, her face was happier than I had ever seen it, especially considering that she was on the floor a couple of seconds ago.

"You are," She grabbed my face, pushing my face towards hers and her lips were instantly on top of mine, this time there was no lip gloss to smear my face, "amazing." Our foreheads gently clashed together, our eyes staring into each others, both of us wanting more just as Dr. Winters reentered the room, Ms. Montez closely trailing behind her.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

So I'm holding on, I'm holding on, I'm holding on

I'm barely holding onto you

Troy jumped up onto the bed beside me, interlacing his fingers in with mine, setting our interweaved hands on my lap.

"I can see you guys worked things out." Dr. Winters observed, my mom smiling beside her. "Okay, Gabriella, this is what's going to happen. Troy, pay attention 'cause you're part of the treatment plan."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." I whispered quietly, Troy laughing as he heard it.

"You're going to have to come see me on a weekly basis for about two and a half months…" she started to explain, that first part bummed me out. "You're going to be on anti-depressants, the lowest possible dose to actually help you and not hurt your daughter." I nodded, Troy nodding with me. "Tips for you, so that you can get control at home…Troy, this is the important part. One, get as much rest as you possibly can, that's a necessity. Two, don't put a lot of pressure on yourself to do everything, you've got people to help you…take advantage of that." I looked at my mom, curiously wondering how she liked that tip. "Three, and I know Troy will love this one, when you have to feed Adriana at night, get Troy to get up and bring her to you."

"I like that one." I interrupted, smiling while Troy rolled his eyes.

"I thought you would." he answered.

"Four," the doctor continued, "talk about how you're feeling. Talk to Troy, to you're mom, to your friends, maybe even to the telemarketer that calls…they'll listen as long as they get paid, trust me." Everyone laughed, the doctor even cracked a smile or a grin at her own joke. "Five, do _not_ spend a lot of time alone. Troy, get her out of the house, maybe run errands together or go to the park together, sometimes without Adriana. Six, and probably your favorite, spend alone time with your boyfriend…"

"Yep," Troy and I answered simultaneously, "definitely our favorite."

"That won't be a problem." I added.

"Yeah, I thought so. And lastly, maybe join a support group or something to increase your awareness of the matter and you can learn from other people." Dr. Winters finally concluded her little speech. "Now, you are all free to go. Your mom discharged you, so you can leave whenever."

"How about now?" I jumped up, eager to get out of that place. "Thank you, Dr. Winters." She nodded in satisfaction. "I guess I'll see you next week?" Again, she nodded, adding a smile. "Yeah," I muttered under my breath.

"Let's get out of here." Troy took my hand with his, tightly squeezing it. "You know," He turned to me, his eyebrows raised in excitement, "Adriana's over at Taylor's for the night…"

"Oh, I see where this is going." I chuckled.

"Yeah, you think maybe..."

"C'mon you two." My mom ushered us out the door, smiling relief and then we finally left that place behind us.

I'm holding on

I'm holding on

I'm holding on

I'm barely holding onto you


	19. You Are The Music In Me

Chapter 19 - You Are The Music In Me

_When I hear my favorite song_

_I know that we belong_

_You are the music in my_

_It's living in all of us_

_And it's brought us here because_

_You are the music in me_

Gabriella's POV:

"I'm starving." My mom, Troy and I were walking out of the hospital around 9:00 when we finally got into the parking lot.

"You should be." my mom said, the headlights on her car blinking twice. "You guys want to go somewhere?" I looked at Troy, who shrugged as usual, and then nodded at my mom. "Where do you want to go?"

"Um, Chili's?" I suggested only because it was like right across the street. Plus, I was in the mood for their raspberry lemonade. Troy shrugged again, probably not caring.

"You guys want to go alone? Get a head start on tip number six?" my mother questioned, a small grin growing on her face.

"Mom, just get in the car. I'll ride with Troy and we'll meet you there." She nodded and the ducked down into her small car while Troy and I walked a little way, our hands laced together. That was a good feeling…even though it was a small gesture, the touch of his hand in mine…it was really good. We got to the car and I noticed it was my car. I looked at him curiously.

"How was I supposed to take Adriana over to Taylor's house?" he answered me in a question form. I understood. But he surprised me, he opened the door for me and then waited until I got inside before he shut it. He had never done that before…that was a first.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked as we pulled out of the parking lot, turning left onto the main road.

"Actually…about how people keep asking me questions." He made some sort of face. "I'm sick of people asking me questions about how I feel or what I'm thinking."

"I'm sorry," he defended himself, his one hand up in the air.

"I'm telling you what I'm thinking, isn't that what you asked?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "but I didn't want a snap for an answer."

"I'm sorry." I sighed, laying my head against his shoulder as he drove into the shopping center that Chili's was located in. I could feel that he understood my frustration. He parked the car next to what we both believed was my mother's car, but he didn't open the door for me, something that I knew wouldn't last long. He did, however, wait until I was out of the car before he went in, holding his hand out for me to take.

"I was wondering if you two would ever get here." My mother was standing outside of the door, the grin still plastered on her face. "I thought I was going to have dinner by myself."

"Oh, mom," I smiled weirdly, "I'm sure some nice guy would've come sit with you." She mimicked a laugh and then we all proceeded into the restaurant, immediately being seated. The waitress was nice, she kept eyeing Troy though, but she was nice. Troy had gotten some type of burger, my mom got some type of chicken thing and I stuck with the simple salad and soup, the raspberry lemonade keeping my meal exciting.

"What made you come inside that room today?" I blurted, not even aware of what I was doing.

"What?" Troy asked me almost spitting out the piece of burger he was chewing, turning to his left side to face me. My mom was surprised too, she almost choked on her food.

"Did the doctor make you come inside to see me?"

"I think I'm going to go wash my hands." my mom hinted as she slid out of the booth, heading away from us.

"What are you talking about?" he asked again, setting down the French Fry that I had interrupted from going into his mouth.

"Oh, c'mon Troy," I huffed, "you know what I'm talking about." He shook his head. "Were you forced to see me today?"

"Gabriella,"

"Wait, were you forced to get back together with me?" The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He wasn't answering immediately to any of my questions, giving off a sort of 'yes' attitude. "You're supposed to jump in with a 'no'!"

"C'mon." He pulled on my arm, sliding me out of the booth just as my mom came back, her hands dripping wet.

"They didn't have any paper towels." she answered my questioning glare. "Are we leaving? Because I'm not done."

"We're just going outside for some fresh air." Troy told her, his eyes obviously giving off some sort of glare. My mom nodded and then Troy dragged me out of the restaurant, throwing my body in front of him when we got onto the sidewalk.

"What are you trying to do?" he demanded loudly, releasing my arm from his grasp.

"I'm trying to get the truth. I want to know if you were forced to get back together with me." His eyes wondered all over the place, trying to avoid my gaze, searching for a proper answer. "Yeah, that's not very reassuring, Troy."

"Well,"

"What do you mean 'well'?" My voice was getting higher and higher. "Oh my gosh, you totally were."

"No, not really." he answered, sitting down on the wooden bench that was in the grass, his hands covering his lying face.

"'No, not really'?" I mimicked. "What does that mean?"

"Look, Dr. Winters said that your health depended on me, on my support. And at first," he started to explain, my eyes getting glassy with more tears, but these were more angry tears rather than sad tears, "I thought the only way to support you was to get back together with you."

"Oh," His hands rose up to stop me.

"Let me finish." He stood up again. "But, then I realized that I really did want to get back together with you even though we really didn't break up…that's besides the point." His eyes finally pierced into mine. "I meant what I said, about going through this together. I'll be there, right behind you, holding your hand every step of the way."

"But you were forced to get back together with me!" I screamed, not even caring if people were staring at us through the windows, which they were I could tell.

"Gabriella, I just said-"

"No," I interrupted, pushing him away when he tried to get close. "I don't want to see you right now."

"Gabi,"

"No. Just go." He hung his head as he walked towards my car, driving off within seconds.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Where's Troy?" My mom looked at me curiously as I walked back into the restaurant without my boyfriend.

"Can we leave?" I took one last sip of the delicious drink as my mom shoved her last piece of chicken in her mouth, leaving a fair amount with the waitress after she explained that we needed to leave because of an emergency.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" We were in the car, just pulling out of the shopping center. I shook my head. "Gabriella, what's going on?"

"Nothing." I snapped, sighing afterwards. "I just don't really want to talk about it."

"Are you sure?" she asked, my body shifting towards the right side as we turned into our development. "I could help you. I do have experience, you know."

"I know." I chuckled at the face that she brought up her 'experience'. I doubted her insight sometimes. "But, I just want to be alone right now."

"Gabriella, Dr. Winters said that…"

"Mom, I appreciate your concern right now, but I just want to be alone." I interrupted, her face worried. "I'll be okay, I promise." She was hesitant, I could feel that, but she accepted it.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

"Troy, what are you," Chad opened Taylor's door, I knew he would. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, unconvincingly.

"Troy…" I knew he would sense that I was lying.

"Okay, everything's not okay."

"Well, is Gabriella okay? She'll be okay, right?" Taylor threw questions in my face.

"She's fine. Well, she has postpartum depression," I watched their mouths open widely, "but, other than that, she's fine. And mad at me."

"What did you do?" Chad immediately asked.

"What makes you think that _I_ did something?" He looked at me and, yet again, I knew he knew I was lying. "Okay, it was me."

"What did you do?" Taylor repeated, ushering me into the family room. I sat, again, on the chair as they sat down on the couch, Chad's arm swinging over Taylor's shoulders.

"She started ranting on about how it seemed like the doctor today forced me to get back together with her." I started to explain, my voice soft now.

"And you said no, right?" Chad asked. I kind of made that face that said 'kind of' and Chad and Taylor went nuts. "You said kind of? Well, know I know why she's mad at you."

"Why would you say that? Especially with what happened today." I shrugged. "She wasn't on medication when she asked, was she?"

"No, not that I know of. Why?" Taylor sighed.

"Because then I would say that it was okay because she probably wouldn't remember." Oh, now I wish she had taken something before we ate. "But, I can't say that now."

"Did you, at least, try to make up to her?"

"Yeah, of course I did." I said, my elbows resting on my knees as my head laid in my hands. "But, she wouldn't hear any of it." Taylor and Chad looked at each other, mouthing something that I couldn't make out to each other and then swiftly turned their head back towards me.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here." I thought that was what they were discussing. "Adriana's up in my room, in her crib. You can go check on her and then go to bed, if you want."

"Oh, no. I think I'm going to go to my house." I answered, standing up again and pulled my keys out of my pocket. "I haven't seen my parents for a couple days, well in long visits anyways, so…thanks for keeping Adriana tonight, I just didn't know who else to call."

"That's what we're here for." Taylor hugged me tightly again and Chad and I repeated our handshake/manly hug thing before I left again.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

My mattress was so comfortable, way more comfortable than the bed in the hospital room, as I threw myself on top of it when my mom and I got home. Turning over onto my left side, I grabbed the sheet that was still balled up from this morning. I closed my eyes, breathing into it to relieve tension, but I ended up smelling Troy's scent everywhere. I had not been fair with him, I knew that, but I just…I didn't know what to do. I took the even more of the sheet into my grasp, my legs pulling themselves into my chest as tears formed in my eyes and, in a ball, I started to sob.

This fight probably didn't help my depression, okay it _wasn't_ helping my depression. And, as I thought about more and more, it was the stupidest fight ever. I shouldn't have worried about his intentions on getting back together with me, the fact that he did get back together with me was a miracle in itself.

"Taylor?" I had decided to at least see if Troy was over there, which he probably was.

"Gabriella. Hi." she answered, surprised by my voice. "Are you okay?"

"Troy told everything, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Gabi, if you need anything at any time, I'm here for you." she said, so supportively. "You're my best friend, and I love you, so let me help you."

"I think you are helping me. I mean, you're watching Adriana tonight…" I smiled at Adriana's name. "Is she behaving for you?" I chuckled.

"Yeah. Chad has been inseparable from her…he loves her so much." Now she was smiling, small tears were starting to run down my cheeks. "And I knew he would, I just love seeing him like that." I breathed into the phone. "But, enough about me and Chad…what's up?"

"Um, I was wondering if Troy was there. We had a fight and-"

"I know," she interrupted. Of course he would tell them immediately after it happened, "he told us. But, he left. He said he was going to his house, he hadn't seen his parents in a couple of days, so he left."

"Oh." That was all I could say.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Why can't I just believe him?" I whined into the phone, anger bottling up inside of me as I sat up in my bed. "Why is that so hard for me?"

"I don't know." Taylor answered, intently listening.

"Oh, stop."

"Stop what?" she laughed, I even cracked a smile. "Look, Gabs, you should really just call him and talk to him because I know you didn't mean what you said to him tonight. You were just upset about random stuff and he was the closet to lash out at."

"I don't understand what I would be mad about though. I mean, if anyone had the right to be mad it would be him." I ranted on and on. "What would I be mad about?"

"Um, maybe seeing a doctor today…maybe the whole thing that happened with Adriana today…take your pick."

"Thanks, Tay. I guess I just needed someone to talk to." I heard her hair brush up against the receiver, knowing she was nodding in satisfaction. "I'll call you tomorrow. Oh, and thanks for watching Adriana tonight."

"No problem." And then we hung up, the phone dropping down on my bed. Now, I guessed, was the time to call Troy.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

My parents were surprised to see me, walking in the front door as they both sat in the living room with papers in their hands.

"Troy," my mom stood up, left her paper in the seat and rushed over to me, engulfing me in a tight hug, "hi."

"Hi mom." My airways were closing up on me as her hands pressed against my back even harder. "Um, I can't breathe." She instantly let go, laughing lightly.

"Hi, son." My dad didn't bother to get up from his chair, and honestly, I didn't want him too. Yeah, it had been a couple months since his heart attack, but he still looked really pale.

"Hey dad." I followed my mom's gesture for me to sit down onto the living room couch next to my mom.

"Wow, this is a surprise." my mom broke the ice, her smile a nervous one. "Is something wrong?"

"Why do people always think something's wrong?" I asked, her smile disappearing.

"I don't know, Troy. But, I know my son…"

"Well, okay, something's wrong, but I didn't want it to seem like the only time something was wrong, I would come over here." I explained, my mom's smile reappearing and a smirk grew on my dad's face.

"You want to tell us?" my dad piped up this time, finally putting down his newspaper, resting it on his crossed legs.

"Gabriella and I got into a fight."

"Over what?" I was hoping they didn't ask that question, now I had to tell them about the whole depression thing, which would help my dad's case against Gabi.

"Well," My phone vibrated in my pocket, saving my butt from that conversation, "wait." I pulled it out, looked at the fingerprinted screen and saw Gabi's name illuminated. "I gotta take this." I got up and left, going into my room, which kind of felt like my old room now.

"Hello?" I flipped open my black razor and just listened to her breathing as she thought of something to say.

"Hi." she said softly. Her voice, kind of raspy, made my heart, unusually, flutter happily. "Troy, I think we need to talk."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"But," she started, "I think we need to talk face to face. Can you come over?"

"Anytime, baby." I told her, trying to seductively pull her in over the phone…hey, I had done it before. I heard her smile and then we hung up.

"Where are you going?" My mom jumped up as I rushed down the stairs, pulling open the door.

"Oh," I tried to pretend to be sad, "Gabriella called. She wants to talk…face to face."

"Okay." she acceptingly nodded. "Go. I love you."

"I love you too, both of you." I kissed her cheek, quickly gave my dad a handshake and then bolted out the door.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

Troy was in walking through my door within a matter of seconds, actually. He was short of breath when he closed the door behind him and then turned around, his face had 'Sorry' written all over it.

"Were you by yourself?" He asked, looking around my room at the emptiness.

"Troy," I tried to reason with him.

"Gabriella, you know what the doctor said. You're not supposed to be by yourself a lot. Why-"

"Troy!" I interrupted, yelling at a medium volume. "I know what the doctor said, but we need to talk." He hung his head, nodding slightly as he looked at the ground. "Look, I don't really know what came over me tonight at Chili's. I guess I was just upset over stuff that I haven't figured out yet."

"Gabs, you have every right to be mad at me." He was using that soft whisper again…oh, I wanted him so bad. "I shouldn't have told you that I was kind of forced to get back together with you. I'm sorry."

"No," I quickly told him once he was finished, "I had no right to ask you that question. I'm the one that should be apologizing."

"So, we're agreeing that you were at fault here?" he joked, and I cracked. He sort of glided towards me, his hands in his jean pockets.

"I thought you said that you were at fault…" He made an "Mmhm" sound. What to, I really didn't catch. "Right?" His hands finally released themselves from the pockets and pulled me close, both of us smiling.

"Come here." His hands rested comfortably on my back as his lips slowly lowered themselves down towards mine, but he stopped centimeters away. Gazing into my eyes, he questioned whether we were okay or not without even saying a word and I could feel my eyes just talking for me. His smile became wider as he finally laid his lips on top of mine, his tongue immediately beckoning to come inside of my mouth. My lips parted and that moment was just pure magic…

* * *

AN: Okay guys, guess what? The next chapter is going to be the last one! I know, I know, it sucks, but I think this is the point where I can end it perfectly. I can not believe how much success this story has had, it's been wonderful. All of you guys who reviewed are amazing, and don't be sad, I'm working on another Troyella story called "It's More Than You". Once I finish the first couple chapters, it'll be up…so keep an eye out for that. I love you all!!

-crazybrunette113


	20. One In A Million

AN: Here it is…chapter 20. Okay, I stayed up until 2:00 am to finish these last two chapters. And, just to let you know, my eyes had a hard time staying open…but I did it for you guys! Enjoy!!!

Chapter 20 - One In A Million

_The say that good things take time_

_But really great things happen in the blink of an eye_

_Thought the chances to meet somebody like you_

_Were a million to one_

_I cannot believe it, oh_

_You're one in a million_

Troy's POV: a couple weeks later…

I had Adriana on my lap, kissing her pudgy stomach as she squealed happily as I thought and thought about what was going to happen that night.

"You know, princess," I told her, letting her take a breath in between tickle attacks, "Daddy and mommy are going out tonight and daddy's going to ask mommy something…you think she'll like it?" Maybe it was just my imagination, but it looked like she nodded to my question.

"Hey, babe." Gabriella walked through the entrance hallway, smiling, probably at Adriana and I sitting there. She leaned down and kissed me softly just before Adriana screamed for Gabi to take her. "Well, hi precious. Aren't you jealous…"

"She's going to be a very difficult girlfriend." Gabriella looked at me with a jokingly glare just before I focused on Adri playing with Gabi's curls. "So, you know what you're going to wear tonight?"

"Not yet." she answered while I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't do that. Taylor and the girls are coming over to help me get ready…at least I won't be alone."

"Right, speaking of which, how was therapy?" I asked and I heard her sigh.

"Boring."

"I can imagine, but you're getting better…that's all that matters." I told her, her eyes twinkling at me.

"I know, but I'd rather be here with you and Adriana or at the mall…the mall would be nice." I chuckled, getting up to go to the kitchen to grab a drink.

"Well, just hang in there. It'll be over soon." I knew she knew I was right, something that happened very rarely with us. "Okay, just figure out what you're wearing, I have reservations and I _don't_ want to be late."

"Okay, okay."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV:

Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay had all come over to help me get ready. I had settled on a nice, simple blue pinstriped sundress, my hair down in loose curls that bounced on my shoulders with diamond stud earrings and a matching necklace.

"You look beautiful." Troy stood at the bottom of the steps, his mouth dropping as he watched me descend down the steps. He was dressed in khaki slacks, a dress shirt tucked in with the sleeves rolled and a matching tie.

"Is this too casual?" He quickly shook his head, taking my hands in with his as I finally stepped on the hardwood floor. He pulled me close and then lip gloss was all over his lips, this time it was watermelon scented. "Okay, let's go."

"Wow, aren't you in a hurry…" I smiled as he opened the door for me, holding it open and then shut it behind him. I would've said goodbye to Adriana, but my mom had taken her shopping with her.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

We arrived at this nice restaurant about 20 minutes before our reservation and I insisted that we stay in the car for twenty minutes, but Troy just laughed as he got out and opening my door for me. He was acting a bit strange, put I didn't push him on it, he kept insisting on getting our table.

"Troy, I'm going, I'm going." He was pushing on my back for me to walk faster and faster. "Calm down."

"I don't want to be late like we always are." he firmly told me as we entered the restaurant.

"Honey," I lowered my voice to a soft volume, "we're twenty minutes early. I think we're fine." But, he wasn't listening to me. He was already up to the host and telling him that he had a reservation. The guy smiled at me and then said, in a French-ish accent, to follow him.

We were seated at a nice, small table. There was plenty of room for two people, but if there were three, the table wouldn't have held. We sat by a window too, a beautiful view of the water right outside and now I knew that something was going on. Troy never cared about where we sat, but I could tell that he had somehow had a part in our placement. The menu was simple. I had ordered a nice chicken ensemble with a salad of course while Troy went with a steak platter type meal. We had sparkling cider as our drink, the closest thing to wine that he could pull off. Our conversation, surprisingly, never had the work Adriana in it. However, it did have Chad, Taylor, the twins', Zeke, Jason and Kelsi in it. We had gone off about prom, he had told me that everyone knew about us now, with the exception of Sharpay.

"Gabriella," he took my hand and it was then that I noticed his hands were slightly shaking, "I need to talk to you."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy's POV:

I tried to hide my hands from her as best I could, they were shaking uncontrollably and I could feel her stare…she knew something was up.

"What's going on, Troy?" she asked, getting more and more suspicious. I shook my head. "Troy?"

"I just need to talk to you, that's it. It's nothing bad…I promise."

"Okay then." I let go of her hand and placed my hands underneath the table so that they could shake without her noticing them even more. "Gabriella," I started, "from the moment I met you, I knew you were going to be different from other girls, in a good way, and I knew then that I was going to have the opportunity to be your boyfriend like I have been for the past 2 years on and off."

"Troy, what's going on?"

"Just listen." I interrupted. "You've always been the one to push me into doing things, things that you know I'll succeed in, but I'm way too stubborn to listen to what people tell me." She laughed, her smile blindingly perfect. "You've picked me up after I've been down, you've helped me in situations where I had no clue what my first move was." I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves and my stomach. "You've given me the best laughs and moments I have ever had and, on top of that, you've given me a beautiful daughter." Her eyes twinkled, glassing over with small tears that rested on her eyelashes. "And now, I want my turn. What I'm trying to get at is," I moved out of my chair and went over to her, taking her hand with mine as I went down on one knee, her face was priceless. I pulled a small, red velvet box out of my jacket pocket with my free hand, flipping it open, "will you marry me?" Her mouth was open, she gasped at the size of the big ring…it was amazingly nice and perfectly cut for her finger…as tears ran down her bronzed face. "Gabi?" I could feel eyes from everyone in the restaurant on my back, the pressure building in the room.

"Yes." She answered, my heart feeling as though it had stopped. Her face looked really confused as she looked into my eyes, which were now starting to tear up. "Yes, sí, oui, yeah dude…how many times do I have to say it for you to understand?" I shook my head, shaking myself back into reality, which was awesome now, finally smiling as the whole room was filled with applause. I slipped the ring on her finger and jumped up towards her lips…

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Gabriella's POV: 4 years later…

"Adriana, what sound does a cow make?" I sat on the couch of our condo, my four year old daughter sitting on the ground with a book laid out on her lap and a one year old son, Riley, bouncing himself on my leg.

"Quack-quack?" Her blue eyes innocently looked up at me as I laughed, starting to get a little frustrated with her mixed up animal sounds.

"No, precious," I told her, "a cow goes 'moo'. A _duck_ goes 'Quack-quack', remember?" I could tell she didn't remember from her Barney shows. "Okay, let's try again, what does a lion say?" She was just about to answer, and I could tell it was the right answer, when the front door opened, sunshine shining brightly into the little 'foyer' before the door closed.

"Daddy!!" She was up in an instant, the book flying off of her lap and onto the ground, as she flew into Troy's arms.

"Hi princess." He twirled her around, her priceless giggle filling the condo. "How are you?" He held her on his chest, looking up at her, trying to engage himself in her daily ramble.

"Mommy and I are making animal sounds." she told him, his face showing excitement.

"Really?" She nodded. "Okay, what does a lion say?"

"Meow?" Troy laughed as he started walking towards me on the couch.

"Okay, I see we need a little work on that area, huh?" I nodded as he put Adriana back onto the ground before he bent down to brush my lips with a kiss.

"Daddy, where's my kiss?" Adriana asked, flashing Troy her famous, and perfected, puppy dog face that Troy taught her when she was about 3.

"Oh, I'm so sorry princess. I totally forgot." He looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise as he planted a big kiss on Adriana's cheek. She was so happy. "And you, big guy," He took Riley from me, I finally got the feeling in that portion of my leg back, holding him up in the air. Riley smiled his baby smile, his cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk, it was so cute, "do you want a kiss too?" I laughed.

"What?" Troy asked, setting Riley's butt on his forearm as he situated the baby to his hip.

"Nothing." I shook my head, heading into the kitchen to start making dinner. "Could you, though, give Riley his bottle and then try to get him to sleep? He really needs a nap." Troy nodded as I placed the warm bottle on the edge of the counter, he immediately had it in his hands. Troy sat down on the couch, lying Riley in his arms before he placed the bottle in Riley's mouth. Riley, now, had started to hold the bottle up by himself, something that didn't happen to Adri until she was a year and a half old.

"What sound does a cat make?" I could hear Troy trying to set Adriana's animal sounds out.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo?" I rolled my eyes, Troy was probably doing the same thing.

"No, no, princess." I rolled my eyes again, he babied her so much…but it was cute. "Roosters make that sound. Cat's say 'Meow.'"

"Na huh, daddy." Adriana corrected him. "A lion says 'Meow', remember?"

"No, princess." he shook his head. "A lion says 'Grrr'…something I'm gonna say pretty soon." He directed that towards me. "Okay, buddy, you're all done…that fast. Gabs, babe, he's going to be a pig when he grows up."

"Oh, just like you then?" I joked and he mimicked a laugh as I started to hear light taps on Riley's back.

"What sound does a pig make, Adriana?" Troy kept trying, something that was a good thing and a bad thing sometimes.

"Oink, oink." I sighed relief.

"Yes, princess. She finally got one right!! Whoo!" We were both happy for that. Riley burped, a sign that he was going to fall asleep within a matter of minutes, and Adriana laughed like she always did, following Troy upstairs.

"Okay," Troy came back down stairs from putting Riley down, "Riley is asleep and Adriana is playing with her Barbie dolls." I nodded as I finished cooking the hot dogs. "She tried to get me to play, but I said I had to help you."

"Oh really? Help me?" I looked at him, turning my body around after I had shut the stove burner off before I leaned up against the nearby countertop.

"Uh huh." he answered, his hands making their way around my waist. "Is that a problem?"

"No," I smiled, "but, I can't remember the last time you helped me with dinner." He made a face and moved closer to me, to the point where our bodies were touching, and then kissed me softly.

"Mmm," I said, trying to savor the distant feeling for a moment.

"I know," he finished my thought, "I've missed it too. You know, tonight we could maybe…you know." He had that twinkle in his eyes that made my stomach turn with butterflies, but it made me laugh.

"Yeah, I know. But, as I recall, that's the same way we ended up with those two little people upstairs…"

"Did you have to say that?" I nodded, walking over to the stairs.

"Adriana, honey, dinner time!"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Okay, Adriana…" Troy stood behind our daughter, his hands overlapping hers on the basketball that was in her grasp, showing her how to shoot it. "Yeah, that's a great hold. Now, when you shoot it, your wrist should flick like this," He showed her the motion, "Yeah like that." She nodded and then shot the ball into her Fischer Price basketball hoop that was in our small backyard. She made it…just like Troy probably did when he was her age.

"She's only four years old and you're already brainwashing her." I walked through the grass, barefoot, with Riley on my hip, his dark brown hair flying in the wind. This child, Riley, was all me. His hair was dark brown like mine, he even had the little tiny curls at the ends. In four years, he had arrived, making our lives even more chaotic. Troy and I, along with the rest of the gang, graduated from high school and went off to college. About a month ago, we all graduated from different colleges, but we were all at each other's ceremony. Troy, who had played college ball alongside Chad and Jason, was now gearing up for entering the NBA draft. And as for me, I was getting a teaching job at an elementary school…I was really excited.

"Well," He stopped mentoring Adri for a minute to look at me while she continued to make shots, "I would be brainwashing Riles here, but he's too young." He walked over to me, his footprints leaving imprints in the dying grass. "Hi, big boy." Troy's fingers tickled Riley's stomach gently, Riley giggling for a brief moment before Adriana cut in.

"Daddy," She wanted Troy to look at her, "watch."

"I am, princess." She smiled and then shot the basket, making it. It actually swished in, not touching the rim. "Good job, baby. Keep going."

"You just won't stop, will you?" He shook his head, his light brown hair flipping from side to side as he wrapped his arm around my neck, kissing my hair.

"Daddy, I made it!" Adriana exclaimed, excitedly jumping up and down. "I made it!"

"I saw that." He answered her, smiling before he looked down at me with his soft, blue eyes. "I love you." My eyes closed at those words, taking them in.

"I love you too." I told him, reaching up to grab him lips and kissing him shortly. I laid my head on his shoulder, both of us watching our daughter play.

* * *

AN: Well, there you go…the last chapter of this story. I will be around, it's not the end for me…believe me. Thank you to _everyone_! The feedback for this story was amazing, it surpassed my first story stats, and they were impressive to begin with. I would personally state everyone's name who reviewed and thank you all, but that would take a lot of time that I, surprisingly, don't have right now. But, instead…THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I love you all and I'll see you around.

-crazybrunette113


	21. AN: Sequel

AN: There's a sequel that is now posted. It's called "Here We Go Again"! I hope you like it!

crazybrunette113


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